Russian Defense Ministry pressures Putin to announce new wave of mobilization
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russian Defense Ministry officials are pressuring President Vladimir Putin to launch a new wave of mobilization, with increasing talk in Moscow about the inevitability of such a move, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Putin met with representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry several months prior to his inauguration. The officials urged him to carry out another round of mobilization to bolster Russian forces and compensate for significant losses in Ukraine.
The officials reportedly encouraged Putin to use his inauguration and growing political support to justify the new mobilization effort. However, WSJ says that Putin rejected the idea, recalling the public dissatisfaction that followed the autumn 2022 mobilization.
A source told The Wall Street Journal that Putin prefers to rely on volunteers who sign military contracts for the ongoing war against Ukraine. Additionally, the report highlights that more than a month has passed since Ukrainian forces launched an offensive in the Kursk region, yet Russia has not mounted a large-scale counterattack.
According to WSJ, growing discussions within Russia suggest that mobilization is becoming increasingly unavoidable. There are concerns in Moscow that mobilization could upset the fragile public perception of the war and have dangerous political ramifications for Putin.
Mobilization in Russia
Russia last announced a mobilization in September 2022, which triggered widespread discontent among the Russian population.
Currently, no new mobilization is underway, though the Russian army continues to recruit new conscripts. Moscow has also been enlisting foreign mercenaries to fight in the war against Ukraine.
Recently, Putin increased the size of Russia’s military to 1.5 million, raising the total number of personnel to 2.389 million.
According to RBC-Ukraine, Russia met less than 70% of its contract soldier recruitment target last month.
