After setbacks by the Russian army in Ukraine, Putin orders a partial mobilization of reservists. There are sometimes protests and attacks on recruiting offices. A regional mobilization chief is now found dead. The circumstances are unclear.
Recruitment chief Roman Malyk has been found dead in Russia's Primorsky Krai at the age of 49. As part of the partial mobilization, he was responsible for sending men of military age to Ukraine. The cause of death is so far unclear. The authorities assume murder or suicide. The 49-year-old fought in the Chechen wars and was considered a deserving veteran in Russia. Primorye is located in the Far East of Russia, the region borders with China and North Korea.
Malyk is another case of mysterious deaths in Russia. Oligarchs, government critics and energy company executives had died before. The Russian authorities cited suicide as the cause of death in most cases.
Four weeks ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial mobilization of reservists after setbacks by the Russian army in Ukraine. After the plans were announced, there had been protests and attacks on recruitment offices. Thousands of men also fled abroad.
The Moscow recruitment centers are now being closed again. As Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced, the centers in the Russian capital should close on Monday afternoon. Sobyanin explained that the goals of partial mobilization had been "completely" achieved in Moscow. He gave no information on the number of Muscovites drafted into military service.
Putin said on Friday that Russia was not planning any further mobilization of reservists beyond the partial mobilization announced so far. In the "foreseeable future" he sees no need to call in more reservists. So far, 222,000 reservists have been called to arms, and the planned number of 300,000 will be reached in around two weeks. Of the conscripts, 16,000 are already "in combat units," he announced.
