Partial mobilization in Russia: whom Moscow is now calling to arms

For the first time since the Second World War, the Kremlin orders a mobilization.

Partial mobilization in Russia: whom Moscow is now calling to arms

For the first time since the Second World War, the Kremlin orders a mobilization. According to the Department of Defense, 300,000 reservists will be drafted. But Moscow says they want to do without students and those doing military service.

Russia has ordered the country's first partial mobilization since World War II. "When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will use all available means to protect our people - this is not a bluff," President Vladimir Putin said in a televised speech this morning. The decree for the partial mobilization of Russians of military age has been signed, the Russian President said. The convocation will begin this Wednesday.

He supports the defense ministry's proposal to mobilize reservists who have already served and have "relevant experience," Putin said. Overall, Russia has two million reservists. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, in a statement broadcast after Putin's announcement, spoke of 300,000 reservists to be called to arms. These are only a fraction of the forces available. A total of 25 million Russians could potentially be mobilized, Shoigu said.

But they want to do without conscripts, explains Schoigu. Rely on people who have previously served and have combat experience and military specialization. "These are not people who have never seen or heard anything about the army," he said. "We're not talking about mobilizing any students," he added. "You can continue to go to class."

According to Putin, those drafted would have the same status and pay as the current contract soldiers and would also receive military training before being deployed to the front. According to Shoigu, the reservists should secure the areas along and behind the "more than 1,000-kilometer-long front line" in southern and eastern Ukraine.

Because of the high losses, Russia is struggling with significant personnel problems in Ukraine. The Kremlin has therefore increasingly relied on volunteers in recent months. According to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Russian armed forces also recruit prisoners, use elements of the Russian security services and covertly mobilize men from the partially occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.