After failing to achieve substantial advances in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has requested the recruitment of an additional 134,500 soldiers into his army.
A directive issued today by Russia’s ruler ordered the induction of new draftees into the military as part of the country’s regular spring draft.
However, as difficult as it was for Moscow to maintain, the defense ministry insisted the call-up had nothing to with the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia is set to receive 134,500 new conscripts after Putin signs a decree on the spring draft, which begins tomorrow. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday that no conscripts will be sent into 'hot zones', read: Ukraine. His ministry has already admitted that they have. pic.twitter.com/brB5IbVUeQ
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) March 31, 2022
During the signing of the order, pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine said they now controlled virtually all of the Lugansk area.
They also claimed to hold much more than half of the Donetsk region, after the declaration by Moscow that these regions were its major military objective.
Telegram Message
In a Telegram message, the foreign minister of a self-proclaimed republic said more than ninety percent of the Lugansk area had been freed from Russian occupation.
According to the leadership of the Donetsk rebels, between 55 and 60 percent of the territory is under Russian administration.
NATO Secretary-General said later in the day on Thursday that Russian soldiers in Ukraine are not retiring, but rather reorganizing their forces.
Concerns have been raised about conscripts’ participation in the conflict, which is a very sensitive subject.
On March 9, the Defense Department revealed some Russian troops had been dispatched to Ukraine.
Putin denied this on several occasions, claiming only trained soldiers and commanders had been brought in to protect the country.
Putin deescalation
Draft 134,500 conscripts
— WICountryGigi (@country_gigi) March 31, 2022
As reported by the Russian press at the time, Putin instructed army investigators to examine and punish the authorities who disobeyed his orders to exclude conscripts from the military.
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According to Putin’s directive, Russian males between the ages of 18 and 27 will be subjected to the annual springtime military draft.
This will take place from April 1 to July 15. As of Tuesday, Shoigu announced individuals who have been drafted would begin to be deployed to their allotted bases by the end of May.
Most military members will get professional training at training centers for 3 to 5 months, according to the Defense Department. He added, ‘I want to emphasize trainees will not be dispatched to any hot locations,’ according to statements posted on his agency’s website.
However, Mikhail Benyash, a lawyer who represents numerous soldiers of Russia’s National Guard who failed to cooperate with an order to fight in Ukraine, claims under Russian legislation, conscripts might be ordered to battle after many months of training before being sent.
After a video showing a group of young Russian troops recruited to serve on the frontlines of the Ukrainian conflict surfaced yesterday, the news came as a shock. The soldiers complained they had been “thrown into the s**t.”
Russia issuing a draft is a major sign things aren’t turning out like Putin wanted them to.
