Rumors of a possible new round of mobilization have intensified in Russia after reports of forced raids in the regions. As The Times writes, the Russian Federation may not announce such a move officially, but instead continue the covert replenishment of troops for the war against Ukraine.
According to Western and Ukrainian officials, Russia is increasingly having problems replenishing forces at the front due to significant losses. The new tactics of military enlistment offices are associated with pressure on socially vulnerable groups, including migrants, alimony debtors and people with addictions.
“Previously, police would grab people indiscriminately, take them all to the military enlistment office, where they would pressure and threaten them into signing contracts. Now the threats have shifted to outsourcing the police. “It is clear that this is just the beginning of some kind of big campaign,” said Ivan Chuvilyaev, spokesman for the Russian anti-war organization Get Lost.
According to British intelligence, Russia has already lost more than half a million soldiers in the war against Ukraine. The volunteers who went to fight in 2022 were largely killed, wounded, or exhausted.
At the same time, an official announcement of a new mobilization would be politically risky for Vladimir Putin. The 2022 campaign caused a mass exodus of citizens from Russia and worsened public sentiment.
“The secret mobilization has been going on for four years. It is like a virus that changes its form and adapts to changing conditions,” Chuvilyaev emphasized.
Reports of raids in Penza, mobilization exercises in the Volgograd region, and pressure on residents of Buryatia have heightened concerns about a larger campaign. Against this background, Western media suggest that the Kremlin may continue to increase covert conscription, avoiding a formal decision on nationwide mobilization.
