About 244,000 reservists are currently in the conflict zone, in addition to contract troops and volunteers, the Russian President has said
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds ‘Direct Line’, an annual question and answer session, as well as his 18th annual end-of-year press conference, at Gostiny Dvor Exhibition Centre in Moscow, Russia. © Sputnik / Alexander Kazakov
Russia does not need to announce another wave of mobilization to replenish army ranks amid the Ukraine conflict, President Vladimir Putin has said, signaling that Moscow has enough troops on the battlefield.
Speaking during a marathon Q&A session on Thursday, Putin called the issue of a second mobilization drive a “sensitive question.” He said that after Moscow announced a partial military call-up last autumn, some 300,000 signed up to fight in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
“These guys are fighting hard. Among those who were mobilized, there have been 14 Heroes of the Russian Federation,” Putin said, referring to the highest honorary title in the country.
According to Putin, around 244,000 mobilized troops are now deployed in the conflict zone, many of them in maintenance battalions in the rear. He added that 41,000 had been discharged for health reasons or because they had reached the maximum age.
Russian authorities have also launched a large-scale recruitment campaign, encouraging people to enlist, the president noted. “Last night, I was told that we had recruited 486,000. The flow of men who want to protect the interests of the motherland with weapons in their hands does not stop,” he said.
“Together with the volunteers… there are 500,000 people… Why do we need mobilization? For today, there is no need.”
In September 2022, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that additional troops were needed to hold the front line, which stretches more than 1,000 km, and fend off Ukrainian forces. Later that year, he noted that the partial military call-up had been aimed at “stabilizing the situation, protecting new territories and conducting further offensives.”
Speaking on Thursday, Putin stated that the West had provided Ukraine with “everything it promised… and even more” in terms of military equipment to support its much-hyped counteroffensive this year. According to the president, Russian forces have destroyed 747 tanks and nearly 2,300 armored vehicles since Kiev’s push began in early summer. “This is what demilitarization means,” he stressed.
Russian officials have repeatedly said that the Ukrainian offensive had failed to gain any substantial ground, describing Kiev’s losses as catastrophic. Earlier this month, Shoigu estimated that Kiev had suffered over 125,000 casualties since June.
