Russian soldiers on the platform before leaving Moscow for Dzhankoy in Crimea, October 24, 2022. ALYONA MALKOWSKAYA FOR THE WORLD
Is Russia done with the “partial mobilization” decreed by Vladimir Putin on September 21? Yes, listening to Russian officials. Since October 28, the Ministry of Defense has twice officially announced the completion of the process. A total of 300,000 men were called up, 82,000 of whom are already deployed in the Ukraine as part of the “special operation”. These figures, presented by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, are in line with the targets set by the President, as a result of which “all activities related to the conscription of citizens have been suspended”.
However, these multiple statements are not enough to convince. Testimonies have poured in over the past week from Russians who continue to receive summonses to the recruitment office. The ministry’s own hotline states that it has not received any specific instructions. In the same way, several regions that had nevertheless assured that they had fulfilled their quota continued to mobilize.
Another source of suspicion is the Kremlin’s refusal to publish a new ukase, a decree officially ending the mobilization – the one signed by Mr Putin on September 21, which does not contain an end date. When asked on November 1 about the need to announce a new text, the chairman surprisingly played: “I haven’t thought about it, but I will talk to the lawyers about it. However, he insisted: “You [la mobilisation] is over, the point is set. »
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For lawyers, this vagueness allows the power to resume mobilization at any time if necessary, or even to discreetly follow the call of certain specialists, which has been under surveillance since November 1st. Advantage: The lack of an official document prohibits military personnel from resigning under contract.
logistical flaws
The same distrust applies when it comes to numbers. In the public version of the Ukas of September 21, the numbered goals are kept secret. That of 300,000 was only given orally. On October 29, the Volya telegram channel, notable for the quality of its military sources, gave an alternative figure of 692,000 mobilized, of whom 340,000 were already in Ukraine. For its part, the online medium Mediazona puts an estimate of almost 500,000, extrapolated from the number of emergency marriages arranged in each region before the men left.
Nevertheless, the most active and massive phase is certainly over. According to the specialists, the goal of the mobilization remains unchanged: to fill the gaps in the defense system, to survive the winter without further setbacks; then, as soon as the bulk of the mobilized forces are combat-ready and equipped, return to the offensive in the spring.
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