Russia could be about to start new military recruitment drive
Russian newly-mobilized reservists train at a shooting range in the Donetsk region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, October 10, 2022.
Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters
Russian media reporting suggests that the authorities are preparing to start a major military recruitment campaign with the aim of signing up an additional 400,000 troops, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.
“Russia is presenting the campaign as a drive for volunteer, professional personnel, rather than a new, mandatory mobilisation,” the ministry noted.
There is a “realistic possibility” that in practice this distinction will be blurred, the U.K. said, and that regional authorities will try to meet their allocated recruitment targets “by coercing men to join up.”
“Russian authorities have likely selected a supposedly ‘volunteer model’ to meet their personnel shortfall in order to minimise domestic dissent.”
It is highly unlikely that the campaign will attract 400,000 genuine volunteers, the defense ministry said, adding that that “rebuilding Russia’s combat power in Ukraine will require more than just personnel; Russia needs more munitions and military equipment supplies than it currently has available.”
Last September, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” in which 300,000 military reservists were called into active service. He also called for a boost to weapons production.
Since then, Russia’s Defense Ministry has announced its intentions to expand its forces in the next few years. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in December laid out proposals to increase military personnel to 1.5 million by 2026, up from 1.1 million at present.
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