MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. The Kremlin will not comment on the possible scrapping of plans to raise the lower age limit for compulsory military service from 18 to 21 years, as the issue is under discussion in the State Duma, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

"At the moment I can say nothing on this issue, as the discussion is ongoing in the Duma," he said when asked about the Kremlin’s opinion on the subject.

"At this stage, let’s forward questions to the State Duma and the Defense Ministry. In this case, the most important, fundamental thing is the Russian Defense Ministry’s expert point of view," Peskov said.

Earlier on Friday, the State Duma Defense Committee approved in the second reading amendments to the bill raising the conscription age for compulsory service. The committee’s chairman, Andrey Kartapolov, clarified that the draft age will be between 18 and 30 years (the current age range is 18-27). In the first reading of the bill, the lower age limit was supposed to be raised from where it stands now, at 18 years, to 21 years. The regulations concerning the upper age limit of 30 years will not be in force during the fall draft of 2023.