“Two hundred and twenty thousand reservists have been mobilized since September 21, which is why I believe that within two weeks the partial mobilization will be completed”, said Vladimir Putin, relayed by Moskovski Komsomolets. “A second mobilization campaign is not planned […] I don’t see the need for it in the near future”, he added. The Russian president was speaking at a press conference from Astana in Kazakhstan on Friday, October 14, following a regional summit. He notably commented on the evolution of the situation on the Ukrainian ground, strangely satisfied with regard to the difficulties of the Russian army.
On September 21, Vladimir Putin announced to all of his fellow citizens a “partial mobilization” of the country in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. During this speech, the head of the Kremlin explained why this mobilization campaign was, according to him, essential: “To hold the front line for more than 1,100 kilometers with the help of contract soldiers alone is not possible.” For the time being, he specified, 33,000 mobilized people have joined detachments, and 16,000 are already in “units involved in combat”.
“His statements come at a time when prominent bloggers [russes] specialized in military matters have accused the Defense officials of throwing ill-prepared recruits into the fighting”, affirms the New York Times. The title specifies that the mobilization decreed by the Russian authorities met with some resistance within the population, triggering in particular a wave of departures abroad.
So far, the Russian media have reported the deaths of seven soldiers, among those deployed on the ground as part of the partial mobilization. But that figure could actually be much higher, the independent newspaper suggests. The Moscow Times, which retraces the journey of some of them. Several came from the Chelyabinsk region in Western Siberia. their death “sparked outrage on social media, with some locals questioning why these men appeared to have had no training whatsoever.” The authorities of the region did not communicate on the circumstances of their death, affirms the title.