Russia is launching its largest conscription drive in more than a decade, as talks stall over a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. Military service is mandatory for men in Russia, with drafts occurring twice a year, but the call-up of 160,000 men ages 18 to 30 represents an increase of 10,000 over last year's spring conscription and a rise of more than 25,000 compared to three years ago. 

What did the commentators say?
While Ukraine "relies mostly on conscription," Russia's invasion force has been largely reliant on volunteers, said Alexander Hill, a professor of military history at the University of Calgary, at The Conversation. "The death or injury of volunteers is far less likely to have a negative impact on wider morale than the death of conscripts." 

Russian authorities say the call-up is unrelated to the war in Ukraine and that conscripts won't be sent into combat, but reports have surfaced of conscripts being "pressured or misled into signing contracts that result in their deployment to the front lines in Ukraine," said CNN. Even if conscripts are kept out of Ukraine, expanding Russia's armed forces has "everything to do with the conflict and the wider geopolitical tensions," said Sky News. The increased draft is a "sign of Russia's relentless militarisation" and that "whatever the outcome of peace talks, the Kremlin will remain on a war footing for some time yet."

What next?
As President Donald Trump pushes for a peace deal, the Kremlin is open to an agreement that leaves Ukraine "permanently weakened," said Alexander Gabuev and colleagues from the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center on Foreign Affairs. But Moscow was "prepared to keep fighting" before Trump won reelection, and it "remains so today." 

The threat from Russia is also being felt beyond Ukraine. Germany's intelligence service and armed forces believe that Russia is "building up its military power and preparing for a large-scale confrontation with NATO," according to an intelligence report seen by German media organizations. By the end of the decade, the report predicts, Russia is likely to have created all the necessary conditions to be able to wage a "large-scale conventional war."

Sea lions don't often attack humans, but a slew of recent assaults points to an algae that scientists say is poisoning the animals and making them more aggressive. This algae releases a neurotoxin that affects sea lions' brains, causing them to behave erratically and leading to attacks on humans that are almost never seen. 

Several attacks from sea lions have been reported in recent months, particularly in California, where the animals are prevalent. Beyond attacking humans, the algae can also lead to the deaths of these typically docile creatures. 

Triggered aggression
The algae, Pseudo-nitzschia, is blooming in southern California and can "release a potent neurotoxin called domoic acid," said National Geographic. This acid is highly toxic to marine life and "overstimulates the nerves in these animals," making them unusually aggressive. One man who was attacked told Vice the sea lion's actions were "demonic," "unhinged" and "wild." 

Additionally, domoic acid can cause affected sea lions to "show signs of illness like head-bobbing or seizures," sometimes causing death. It can also be fatal to humans in high doses, according to wildlife experts. 

A wind-driven "upwelling of deep ocean water provides nutrients that fuel California's rich marine ecosystem," said NOAA. But this same upwelling can also "feed rapid growth of the algae and the toxin it produces."

Challenging rescues
While most of the sea lion attacks are limited to minor bites, environmentalists worry continued algae outbreaks could keep killing the animals. In 2023, an uptick of domoic acid in California led to at least 1,000 sea lions dying, said the Los Angeles Times. 

Other animals can be affected too. "Fifty dolphins have also been stranded on area beaches, but because they almost always die from ingesting domoic acid, they are usually euthanized."

It's possible to rescue and treat the infected sea lions, but it's hard. That's because an "adult female can weigh up to 250 pounds and an adult male up to 1,000 pounds, requiring several people to move each animal," said the Times. The algae blooms are also "getting worse over time," said John Warner, the chief executive of San Pedro's Marine Mammal Care Center, to the Times, "due to human activity that exacerbates the intensity, timing and scale of the stranding events."