On 21 September 2022, seven months into the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, Russia declared a partial

mobilization Mobilization (alternatively spelled as mobilisation) is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the ...

military reservists A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a di ...

. The decision was made a day after the announcement of the Russian annexation of the DPR,

LPR LPR may refer to: *Laryngopharyngeal reflux, a form of acid reflux *Lawful permanent resident * Lazarus Program file * Libertarian Party of Russia *License plate recognition * Liga Puerto Rico, top division association football league in Puerto Ric ...

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

and

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia ...

oblasts. The announcement of mobilization was seen as a significant escalation of Russia's military efforts in the war with Ukraine. Defense Minister

Sergei Shoigu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu; , . (born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician and military officer who has served as secretary of the Security Council since 2024. He served as Minister of Defence of Russia from 2012 to 2024. Shoigu has served a ...

announced that Russia had a "huge mobilization reserve" and planned to mobilize 300,000 recruits. The precise details of the mobilization plans are currently unclear, however, as the exact number of people to be mobilized is classified. On 28 October, Shoigu told Russian president

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

that mobilization had been completed, which was followed an announcement by Putin of its completion. However, it has been speculated that mobilization will only end after Putin signs a relevant decree, and that covert mobilization would still occur. Kremlin spokesman

Supreme Court of Russia The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation () is a court within the judiciary of Russia and the court of last resort in Russian administrative law, civil law, criminal law and commercial law cases. It also supervises the work of lower courts ...

issued the Ruling No. 11 "On the practice of consideration by the courts of criminal cases for crimes against military service", in paragraph 2 of which it was noted that the period of mobilization (partial or general) begins from the date and time of the start of mobilization, which are established by the relevant decree of the

President of the Russian Federation The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the Federal State Council and the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces. I ...

, and ends with the date and time of cancellation (termination) of mobilization. Thus, the court in fact confirmed that the mobilization was not completed, because the decree on its announcement was not canceled, and a separate decree on its termination was not issued.

Background

According to ''

The Moscow Times ''The Moscow Times'' (''MT'') is an Amsterdam-based independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper. It was in print in Russia from 1992 until 2017 and was distributed free of charge at places frequented by English-speaking to ...

,'' Russian authorities had repeatedly rejected the possibility of mobilization at least 15 times prior to the announcement of partial mobilization. For example, on 8 March, Vladimir Putin publicly promised that no reservists would be called upon to fight in Ukraine. Russia had previously avoided declaring mobilization in Ukraine until this point. Previously, mobilizations were conducted in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

in 1904 and at

the beginning The Beginning may refer to: Film * ''The Beginning'' (1970 film), a 1970 Soviet film * '' Missing in Action 2: The Beginning'', a 1985 American action film * '' Psycho IV: The Beginning'', a 1990 American horror film * ''Star Wars: Episode I � ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1914. The

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

mobilized its population and industry following the 1941 Nazi German invasion during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics

On 19 February 2022, general

began in the

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

and

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; , ), also known as Lugansk (, ; , ), is a city in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be making Luhansk the Cities in Ukraine, 12th-largest city in Ukraine. Luhansk served as the administra ...

People's Republics (DNR and LNR), which at that time were not recognized by any sovereign state, including Russia. Tens of thousands of local residents were forcibly mobilized for the war (according to one estimate, up to 140,000 people by mid-June 2022). The mobilization was accompanied by mass raids on men of military age. In the enterprises of the region, up to 80% of employees were called up, which led to shutdown of mines and public transport, as well as the paralysis of cities and public services. To avoid mobilization, residents hid or tried to illegally leave the republics. The mobilization revealed numerous problems of the armed forces of the DNR and LNR. Recruits without training and combat experience found themselves on the front lines without adequate supplies: the units lacked uniforms, weapons, food, and medicines. Human rights activists reported a huge death toll among mobilized recruits in clashes with the better-trained

Ukrainian military The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

– up to 30,000 as of August 2022.

Russia

Distribution of mobilization summons for reservists began in April. The summons handed out did not indicate the purpose of the call-up. Presumably, they were sent out to invite men to military registration and enlistment offices, where they would draft contracts to take part in the mobilization of reserves. On 28 May, the Russian parliament amended their military call-up legislation, thereby removing the age limit for those wishing to enlist. After Ukrainian counteroffensives in September 2022, Putin came under increasing pressure from Russian

ultra-nationalists Ultranationalism, or extreme nationalism, is an extremist form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its specific i ...

and pro-war activists such as

Igor Girkin Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin ( rus, И́горь Все́володович Ги́ркин, p=ˈiɡərʲ ˈfsʲevələdəvʲɪdʑ ˈɡʲirkʲɪn; born 17 December 1970), also known by the alias Igor Ivanovich Strelkov ( rus, И́горь Ива́ ...

and Alexander Kots, who called for full mobilization and all-out war against Ukraine. Girkin said full mobilization in Russia was the "last chance" for victory.

Russian losses

In September, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu announced that the Russian military had suffered 5,937 soldiers killed during the war, and that 90% of the wounded had returned to battle. Shoigu's statement was widely regarded to be misleading; as of 16 September, Russian forces had suffered at least 6,476 deaths confirmed by name, according to the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. Even this number was confirmed to be low; the list of losses provided by the BBC could be at least 40–60% less than the number of actual military dead buried in Russia, not to mention soldiers whose bodies were left in Ukraine or were deliberately marked as "missing in action". The BBC collected data on the deaths of more than a thousand elite military professionals, including more than 70 military pilots, more than 370 marines, hundreds of paratroopers, and more than 200 GRU special forces soldiers, of which one in four were an officer. On 21 September, the General Staff of Ukraine gave a figure of 55,100 losses of Russian forces. On 12 October, citing sources close to the Kremlin, the independent Russian media project iStories reported that more than 90,000 Russian soldiers had been killed, seriously wounded or gone missing in Ukraine.

Prelude

Volunteer recruitment campaign

Even before the Kharkiv counteroffensive, the personnel situation in Russia was already considered critical, with personnel from other war zones, such as

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and

South Ossetia South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...

, begin redeployed to Ukraine to make up for the lack of manpower. Around June and July 2022, local authorities of the

federal subjects of Russia The federal subjects of Russia, also referred to as the subjects of the Russian Federation () or simply as the subjects of the federation (), are the administrative division, constituent entities of Russia, its top-level political division ...

were tasked with doing a recruitment campaign to form new military formations, in what was called a "covert mobilization". Each federal subject was to form and send a "volunteer battalion". Volunteers were offered short-term contracts with a pay of 40,000 to 50,000 rubles that will increase to 130,000 rubles once they enter in Ukraine. By August, the newly-mobilized volunteer units were grouped in the 3rd Army Corps.

Legislative changes

On 20 September, the day before the mobilization, the

State Duma The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly (Russia), Federal Assembly of Russia, with the upper house being the Federation Council (Russia), Federation Council. It was established by the Constitution of Russia, Constitution of t ...

of Russia unanimously adopted amendments to include the concepts of

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

and wartime in the

Criminal Code A criminal code or penal code is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of, a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that might ...

, and introduced several articles related to military operations. Now, during the period of mobilization, voluntary surrender was now punishable by a 10-year prison sentence;

looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

up to 15 years, and unauthorized abandonment of a military unit up to 10 years. Criminal liability was also introduced for reserve recruits who failed to show up for training, and desertion. The law also introduced punishment for failure to comply with an order, as well as for refusing to participate in hostilities and operations. Political scientist

Ekaterina Schulmann Ekaterina Mikhailovna Schulmann (, ; ; born 19 August 1978) is a Russian political science, political scientist specializing in legislative processes. Schulmann has been a senior lecturer at Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Pu ...

noted that on the official portal of the State Duma, the bill was marked as adopted by both houses of parliament, signed by the president and published, although only the State Duma had voted for it at that moment.

Recruitment of prisoners

Beginning in July 2022, Wagner PMC representatives began visiting Russian penal colonies. According to media sources, Wagner first began a recruiting tour from the colonies for former security forces, and then switched to high-security institutions. He invited the prisoners to take part in hostilities as part of his PMC in exchange for a pardon, removal of their criminal record, a Russian passport, and cash payments (100 thousand rubles per month, 5 million in case of death). In September, a video appeared to confirm the recruitment of prisoners personally by Prigozhin, filmed in strict regime colony No. 6 in

Mari El Mari El,; ; officially the Mari El Republic, is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is in the European Russia, European region of the country, along the northern bank of the Volga River, and administratively part of the Volga Federal ...

. The Russia Behind Bars foundation has collected reports about recruitment of prisoners – according to this data, 9,728 people have been recruited as of 14 September 2022.

Putin's speech

On 21 September,

announced the mobilization in Russia in a pre-recorded speech which aired at 9:00 Moscow time. The speech followed the

's amendments to the

. In his televised address, he said that Russia was at war with the " collective West," implicitly threatening the use of

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...

s. He said that "in order to protect our motherland, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to ensure the safety of our people and people in the liberated territories", he decided to declare a "partial mobilization" of the Russian

reserve force A military reserve force is a military organization whose members (reservists) have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional ma ...

. In his speech, Putin stated that the mobilization was suggested to him by the

Ministry of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

and General staff of the Armed Forces. Putin said that only citizens with prior military experience would be eligible for mobilization, and would receive the same conditions as contract soldiers. Putin accused the United States and

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

of "

nuclear blackmail Nuclear blackmail is a form of nuclear strategy in which one of states uses the threat of use of nuclear weapons to force an adversary to perform some action or make some concessions. History In 1953, during the final phase of active hostilitie ...

" against the Russian Federation, and recalled the presence of their own weapons. Putin reaffirmed his support for the annexation referendums in occupied Ukrainian territories, pointing to the referendums as a justification for Russia to mobilize. In his address to the Russian audience, Putin demonized the "Nazi" West and claimed that the Ukrainian government was sending soldiers to the front lines as "cannon fodder". Putin also claimed that the West was trying to divide Russia. Despite the successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions, Putin maintained in his address that Russia's goals in Ukraine had not changed.

Decree

Shortly after Putin's speech, an official decree was published enacting the announced mobilization: # Declare partial mobilization in the Russian Federation from 21 September 2022. # Сarry out the call-up of citizens of the Russian Federation for military service for mobilization in the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

of the Russian Federation. Citizens of the Russian Federation called up for military service by mobilization have the status of military personnel serving in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation under a contract. # Establish that the level of pay for citizens of the Russian Federation called up for military service for mobilization into the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation corresponds to the level of pay for military personnel serving in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation under a contract. # Contracts for military service concluded by military personnel continue to be valid until the end of the period of partial mobilization, with the exception of cases of dismissal of military personnel from military service on the grounds established by this Decree. # Establish during the period of partial mobilization the following grounds for the dismissal from military service of military personnel undergoing military service under a contract, as well as citizens of the Russian Federation called up for military service for mobilization in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: # To the

Government of the Russian Federation The Russian Government () or fully titled the Government of the Russian Federation () is the highest federal executive governmental body of the Russian Federation. It is accountable to the president of the Russian Federation and controlled by ...

: #

For official use only For Official Use Only (FOUO) is an information security designation used by some governments. United States Among U.S. government information, FOUO was primarily used by the U.S. Department of Defense as a handling instruction for C ...

''(classified)'' # The highest officials of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation shall ensure the conscription of citizens for military service for mobilization in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the number and within the time limits determined by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for each constituent entity of the Russian Federation. # Grant citizens of the Russian Federation working in organizations of the military-industrial complex the right to deferment from conscription for military service for mobilization (for the period of work in these organizations). The categories of citizens of the Russian Federation who are granted the right to deferment and the procedure for granting it are determined by the Government of the Russian Federation. # This Decree shall enter into force on the day of its official publication.

Official publication and entry into force

The

Presidential Presidential may refer to: * "Presidential" (song), a 2005 song by YoungBloodZ * Presidential Airways (charter), an American charter airline based in Florida * Presidential Airways (scheduled), an American passenger airline active in the 1980s * ...

Decree of 21 September 2022 No. 647 "On the announcement of partial mobilization in the Russian Federation" was published on the ''pravo.gov.ru'' on 21 September 2022. Also the Decree was published on 22 September 2022 on the front page of the issue 223(8861) of the

Rossiyskaya Gazeta ' () is a Russian newspaper published by the Government of Russia. History ''Rossiyskaya Gazeta'' was founded in 1990 by the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR during the ''glasnost'' reforms in Soviet Union, shortl ...

. According to point 10 of the Decree, this Decree entered into force from the day of official publication (i.e. on 21 September 2022 when the Decree was published on the Official Internet Portal of Legal Information).

Point 7

Point number 7 of the decree is

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...

. In the public version of the decree posted on Russian government websites, point 7 was not available and was marked as "for official use." Peskov told press that the classified clause referred to the number of reservists who could be called up for military service. The banned opposition newspaper ''

Novaya Gazeta ''Novaya Gazeta'' (, ) is an independent Russian newspaper. It is known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs, the Chechen wars, corruption among the ruling elite, and increasing authoritarianism i ...

'', operating in exile, reported on 22 September 2022, that the classified point 7 gives the Defense Department permission to mobilize up to one million men. Putin's spokesperson

Meduza ''Meduza'' (Russian: Медуза, named after the Greek goddess Medusa) is a Russian- and English-language independent news website, headquartered in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 2014 by a group of former employees of the then-independent ...

'' that 1.2 million people were going to be conscripted. Peskov also denied this.

Organization

Text of decree

The

decree A decree is a law, legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, monarch, royal figure, or other relevant Authority, authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislativ ...

does not say that only reserve servicemen are subject to conscription. It lists the grounds for dismissal from military service – age, state of health, court sentence to imprisonment. Deferment from conscription is granted to employees of the military-industrial complex. The law on mobilization also limits citizens registered with the military from leaving the country: The

deputies voted for the introduction of the concepts of "wartime" and "martial law" the day before the announcement of mobilization. Senators and deputies of the State Duma are not subject to mobilization.

Citizens to be mobilized

According to Putin's televised address, "only citizens who are currently in the reserve and, above all, those who served in the armed forces, have certain military specialties and relevant experience" would be subject to conscription. According to Shoigu, 300,000 reservists were planned to be mobilized, called from a pool of 25 million "potential fighters." Conscripts would be sent for training or retraining, after which they would be sent to Ukraine. Reservists may be banned from leaving Russia after receiving a summons. The

Institute for the Study of War The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is an American nonprofit research group and advocacy think tank founded in 2007 by military historian Kimberly Kagan and headquartered in Washington, D.C. ISW provides research and analysis of modern arm ...

estimated in March that Russia's reserve comprised over two million former conscripts or contract soldiers. Political scientist

noted that according to the text of Putin's decree on mobilization, "anyone can be called up, except for workers in the military-industrial complex." Lawyer and head of the human rights group

Agora The agora (; , romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Ancient Greece, Greek polis, city-states. The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center ...

, Pavel Chikov, expressed doubts about the decree; stating that the Russian Ministry of Defense in fact would decide who, from where and what quantity of soldiers to send to war." Z_symbol_on_a_billboard

On 22 September

Ramzan Kadyrov Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov (born 5 October 1976) is a Russian politician and current head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated with the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Chechen independence movement, through his father who was the ...

, the head of

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

, stated that mobilization would not be carried out in the

Chechen Republic Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and share ...

. He explained this by saying the republic had already overfulfilled their duties for force generation.

Implementation

The military commissars of some Russian regions forbade persons in the reserve to travel outside their districts of residence, and that those who had received a summons or received a mobilization order were obliged to appear at registration offices. Employers of persons who have received summons or have mobilization orders were also ordered to make settlements with such persons and ensure their appearance at said offices. Britain's

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

stated that many new recruits were being deployed to the front lines in Ukraine without any training or proper equipment. One conscripted soldier wrote in a social media post: "We were officially told there would be no training before going to the front. The regiment commander confirmed this information that on the (Sep.) 29th we will go to Kherson." A Russian officer told a group of mobilized men in a video posted on social media: "You're all soldiers now. Three days here. A flight. And then two weeks of military training." According to retired U.S. General Ben Hodges, "It is criminal to send untrained soldiers into combat… it's murder. I doubt these men will survive very long."

Mikhail Degtyarev Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev (; born 10 July 1981) is a Russian politician serving as the Minister of Sport since May 2024. He was previously Governor of Khabarovsk Krai from September 2021 until 2024. He currently serves as the president ...

, the governor of

Khabarovsk Krai Khabarovsk Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a krai) of Russia. It is located in the Russian Far East and is administratively part of the Far Eastern Federal District. The administrative centre of the krai is the types of ...

, said that "About half of he mobilized menwe returned home as they did not meet the selection criteria for entering the military service." In a video published by the independent news website '' The Insider'', recently mobilized Russian soldiers complained of "inhumane" conditions, weapons shortages and mistreatment by officers. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense compared Russian soldiers' living conditions to the Netflix TV show ''

Squid Game ''Squid Game'' () is a South Korean Utopian and dystopian fiction, dystopian Survival film, survival Thriller (genre)#Television, thriller horror television series created, written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. The series revol ...

''. Zabaykalsky Krai Duma deputy Andrey Gurulev said that 1.5 million sets of uniforms had "disappeared" from the MoD. The Governor of the Omsk Region Alexander Burkov said that his region had a budget deficit of 13 billion rubles and had no money for mobilized men. It was reported that Russian authorities were targeting poor,

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

and people from poorer

regions of Russia In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

for conscription. Russian authorities drafted detained protestors with no previous military experience, including a 17-year-old boy who was arrested at an

anti-war demonstration A political demonstration is an action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause or people partaking in a protest against a cause of concern; it often consists of walking in a mass march formati ...

in Moscow. Some of the mobilized Russian men were killed less than two weeks after being drafted, including one man who was killed near the Ukrainian city of

Lysychansk Lysychansk ( , ; , ; , ) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located on the high right bank of the Donets River, approximately from the administrative center of the oblast, Luhansk. It faces Sievierodonet ...

on 7 October, indicating that Russian men were being sent to the front without any basic military training, which ran contrary to Putin's promise that all mobilized civilians would receive proper training before being sent into combat. Some of the draftees bought uniforms and boots themselves before being sent into combat, without even minimal training. Female doctors were mobilized for the war in Ukraine. According to Renata Zhiltsova, who received a summons from a military enlistment office in the Siberian city of Omsk, "I wasn't the only woman doctor whom they wanted to send to war. There are female gynecologists and dentists among my friends who were mobilized for the war. Some of them even had babies."

Dates

The military commissar of the

Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast () is the westernmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of the Russian Federation. It is a Enclave and exclave, semi-exclave on the Baltic Sea within the Baltic region of Prussia (region), Prussia, surrounded by Pola ...

, Colonel Yuriy Boychenko, publicly stated that mobilization summons will be distributed before the relevant presidential decree, indicating the ambiguity about the end of the mobilization period. In

Omsk Omsk (; , ) is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia and has a population of over one million. Omsk is the third List of cities and tow ...

, the families of conscripts were told that there would be three waves of mobilization – from 26 September to 10 October, from 11 to 25 October, and from 26 October to 10 November. This was supported by an audio recording from a meeting from the military registration and enlistment office. Information about three waves of conscription was also confirmed from

Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a krai) of Russia located in Siberia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Krasnoyarsk, the second-largest city in Siberia after ...

. A Russian military expert speculated that a second wave might take place at the end of 2022. However, on 11 October 2022, Yury Shvyktin, deputy head of the

's defense committee, stated that mobilization would not be divided into phases, and that statements about first and second phases were "groundless". On 12 October, Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov (, ; born 17 October 1967) is a Russian diplomat serving as the Kremlin Press Secretary, spokesman for President of Russia, Russian president Vladimir Putin since 2012.Sergei Shoigu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu; , . (born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician and military officer who has served as secretary of the Security Council since 2024. He served as Minister of Defence of Russia from 2012 to 2024. Shoigu has served a ...

reported to Russian President

that no new events were planned within the framework of partial mobilization. Military registration and enlistment offices would continue to work with volunteers and contract soldiers. It has been speculated that officially, mobilization will only end after Putin signs the relevant decree; Putin himself has questioned this point of view. On 1 November 2022, Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov (, ; born 17 October 1967) is a Russian diplomat serving as the Kremlin Press Secretary, spokesman for President of Russia, Russian president Vladimir Putin since 2012. On 5 November, Putin signed a decree that allows people convicted of serious crimes to be mobilized into the Russian army. The exemption does not include people convicted of sex crimes involving minors and crimes against the state such as treason, spying or terrorism. This could allow "hundreds of thousands" of people to be mobilized. Putin also claimed that 18,000 more people have been mobilized over the goal of 300,000. On 14 April 2023, Putin signed into law a bill that would allow authorities to issue electronic summons to draftees. The law blocks anyone eligible for military service who has received a digital summons from leaving the country. Russian lawyer Valeria Vetoshkina called it a "hidden mobilization." According to Russian economist Konstantin Sonin, "Now, any person, regardless of whether he took a summons or not, rhas an account with

Gosuslugi The Federal State Information System "Unified Portal of State and Municipal Services (Functions)" (), commonly referred to as Gosuslugi () is a digital platform operated by the Russian government. The platform was established in 2011 with the aim ...

or not, can be arrested and convicted for not going to war." Russian lawyer and human rights activist

Ivan Pavlov Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (, ; 27 February 1936) was a Russian and Soviet experimental neurologist and physiologist known for his discovery of classical conditioning through his experiments with dogs. Pavlov also conducted significant research on ...

said that the "only option is to leave the country as soon as possible, but there is very little time for that."

Reactions

In Russia

On 22 September, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...

said that newly mobilized recruits could be used to protect the newly annexed territories in Russian-occupied Ukraine.

Roskomnadzor The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, abbreviated as ''Roskomnadzor'' (RKN), is the Russian federal executive agency responsible for monitoring, controlling and censoring Russian mass media. ...

demanded Russian media to write about mobilization using information "exclusively" from Russian government sources and threatened disobeying outlets with fines of up to 5 million rubles and blocking. Imprisoned

Russian opposition Opposition to the government of President Vladimir Putin in Russia, commonly referred to as the Russian opposition, can be divided between the parliamentary opposition parties in the State Duma and the various Non-system opposition, non-systemi ...

politician

Alexei Navalny Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny (, ; 4 June 197616 February 2024) was a Russian Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, opposition leader, anti-corruption in Russia, corruption activist and political prisoner. He founded the Anti-Corruption Found ...

said: "I don’t understand one thing. The army has a million people, Rosgvardia has 350,000 people, the Interior Ministry has another million and a half or two million people, and the Federal Penitentiary Service is full of people. Why are they drafting civilians?" In the

Levada Center The Levada Center is a Russian independent, nongovernmental polling and sociological research organization. It is named after its founder, the first Russian professor of sociology Yuri Levada (1930–2006). The center traces back its history t ...

poll, conducted from 22–28 September, 47% of surveyed Russians said they had felt "anxiety, fear, and horror" following Vladimir Putin's announcement on 21 September. Another 23% said they had felt "shock," while 13% felt "anger and indignation" and 23% said they felt "pride for Russia." Bashkir activist

Fail Alsynov Fail Fattakhovich Alsynov (; ; born 7 December 1986) is a Bashkir nationalist and local political activist known for his advocacy for nature protection, ethnic identity, and language preservation in Bashkortostan. In January 2024, his four-ye ...

called the mobilization a

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

of the

Bashkir people The Bashkirs ( , ) or Bashkorts (, ; , ) are a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Russia. They are concentrated in Bashkortostan, a republic of the Russian Federation and in the broader historical region of Badzhgard, which spans both sides of ...

. There have been allegations that Russia is sending a disproportionate number of men from

ethnic minorities The term "minority group" has different meanings, depending on the context. According to common usage, it can be defined simply as a group in society with the least number of individuals, or less than half of a population. Usually a minority g ...

to fight in Ukraine. Russian Field survey of 21–29 October 2023 showed that 58% of those polled opposed the second mobilization. In May 2024, Kremlin sources told Reuters that Putin was ready to end the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that would recognize Russia's war gains and freeze the war on current front lines, as Putin wanted to avoid unpopular steps such as further nationwide mobilization. According to the Russian independent website Astra, hundreds of Russian men who refused to fight in Ukraine were transported from a military facility near St. Petersburg to a war zone in the

Kursk Oblast Kursk Oblast (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Kursk. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, Kursk Oblast had a pop ...

. In April 2025, a Russian military court sentenced a mobilized man from

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, p=səxɐˈlʲin) is an island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern tip lies north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. An islan ...

to 15 years in prison. He was mobilized in 2022 and deserted in June 2023, voluntarily surrendering to Ukrainian troops, but was later sent back to Russia in a prisoner exchange.

Markets

Russian markets reacted to the introduction of mobilization with a moderate collapse. By 10:43 Moscow Time, the MOEX Index had fallen by more than 4%, and the

RTS Index The RTS Index (RTSI; ) is a free-float capitalization-weighted index of 50 Russian stocks traded on the Moscow Exchange The Moscow Exchange (MOEX; , ) is the largest exchange in Russia, operating trading markets in equities, bonds, derivatives ...

by 5%. After the opening of the exchange, the US dollar against the

ruble The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are s ...

rose to 62.61 rubles in less than two hours (+2.01 rubles by the close of trading on 20 September).

Russian officials and their families

Russians critical of the mobilizations have used social media and other electronic means to enquire en masse Russia's top officials and deputies, who supported the war and mobilization, whether they themselves or their sons would go to the front. There have been a few officials who intended to do so, but most either refused to answer or gave excuses, such as Alexey Mishustin (premier

Mikhail Mishustin Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin (born 3 March 1966) is a Russian politician and economist serving as the current prime minister of Russia since 16 January 2020. He previously served as the director of the Federal Taxation Service from 2010 to ...

's son), ignored the citizens' questions (Moscow city council deputy Andrey Zyuganov, the grandson of

Gennady Zyuganov Gennady Andreyevich Zyuganov (; born 26 June 1944) is a Russian politician who has been the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and served as Member of the State Duma since 1993. He is also the Chair of the Union ...

) or blocked the person asking (

Dmitry Rogozin Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin (; born 21 December 1963) is a Russian nationalist politician serving as the senator from the Russian-occupied Zaporozhye Oblast since 23 September 2023. He previously served as General Director of Roscosmos from 2018 ...

Nikolay Peskov Nikolay Dmitriyevich Peskov (; born 3 February 1990), also known as Nikolai Choles (Николай Чоулз) is the son of Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. Biography Peskov was born on 3 February 1990 in Moscow. He is the eldest son o ...

, the son of Putin's spokesman

nepotism Nepotism is the act of granting an In-group favoritism, advantage, privilege, or position to Kinship, relatives in an occupation or field. These fields can include business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, religion or health care. In ...

in Russia. State Duma deputy Mikhail Matveyev, who opposed the invasion of Ukraine, suggested that Russian governors and lawmakers supporting war and mobilization should enlist in the army and go to fight in Ukraine.

, the governor of the Khabarovsk region, said he would like to go to Ukraine as a volunteer, but could not because of his duties as governor. Residents of the region started a petition proposing to remove Degtyarev from the post of governor and send him to fight in Ukraine, which was signed by several tens of thousands of people. Russian State Duma chairman

Vyacheslav Volodin Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volodin (, ; born 4 February 1964) is a Russian politician who currently serves as the 10th Chairman of the State Duma since 2016. He is a former aide to President Vladimir Putin. The former Secretary-General of the Unit ...

said that the

would support deputies who want to enlist in the army and go to war in Ukraine. Putin loyalist Dmitry Vyatkin, who authored a number of restrictive bills, said in a speech that deputies should not give up their mandate and go to fight at the front, because they have the duty and responsibility to take care of the citizens of Russia and solve domestic problems.

Yevgeny Prigozhin Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin (1 June 1961 – 23 August 2023) was a Russian mercenary leader and oligarch. He led the Wagner Group, a private military company, and was a close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin until launching a ...

called members of the

Russian parliament The Federal Assembly is the bicameral national legislature of Russia. The upper house is the Federation Council (Russia), Federation Council, and the lower house is the State Duma. The assembly was established by the Constitution of the Russian F ...

"useless" and said that the "deputies should go to the front", adding that "those people who have been talking from tribunes for years need to start doing something."

Margarita Simonyan Margarita Simonovna Simonyan (born 6 April 1980) is a Russian media executive. She is the editor-in-chief of the Russian state-controlled broadcaster RT,RT, complained why the "millions of security officers and guards" who are being used in Russia were not sent to the front. Speaking of the chaotic mobilization and reports of old, disabled or otherwise unfit men getting called up into the army, Vladimir Solovyov, the host of the Russian State TV show '' Evening with Vladimir Solovyov'', suggested that recruitment officers who call up the wrong people should either be shot or sent to the front to fight themselves. Russian opposition politician Emilia Slabunova, a member of the Legislative Assembly of the

Republic of Karelia The Republic of Karelia, or simply Karelia or Karjala (; ) is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia situated in the Northwest Russia, northwest of the country. The republic is a part of the Northwestern Federal District, and covers an area of ...

, wrote a letter to President Vladimir Putin urging him to officially declare the end of mobilization. She wrote that absence of such a decree "affects the psychological state of society". In February 2023, Putin's leading propagandist Vladimir Solovyov defended his 21-year-old son Daniil against critics who asked why his son had not enlisted in the Russian army. Vladimir Solovyov had previously encouraged every able-bodied Russian man to volunteer for service and go fight in the war in Ukraine, and condemned young people who tried to avoid mobilization.

Within the Russian military

On 4 October 2022, a video appeared of a man in front of a group of soldiers from

Omsk Oblast Omsk Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of . Its population is 1,977,665 (Russian Census (2010), 2010 Census) with the majority, 1.12 million, ...

voicing concern to the military leadership, primarily about payment to support their families while they were away at war. On 16 November 2022, Vadim Boyko, a Colonel and director of Vladivostok's Makarov Pacific Higher Naval School who was responsible for mobilization efforts committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest five times in his office. Afterwards his widow claimed he was depressed and threatened with charges for failing to meet his recruitment quotas.

Help for army conscripts

Numerous human rights and public organizations expressed their readiness to help mobilized Russians. Among them are

, Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, Conscript's School, Movement of Conscious Objectors from Military Service, Call to Conscience, Citizen and Army.

Exodus of Russians

Russian citizens reportedly purchased plane tickets to other countries following the mobilization. Before the televised address of Russian President Vladimir Putin, all air tickets to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

on 21 September, as well as almost all tickets to

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

, were sold. Russia's

Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation �СБ, ФСБ России (FSB) is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB; its immediate predecessor was the Federal Counterin ...

stated that 261,000 Russians had already left Russia as of 26 September. On 6 October, the Kremlin denied reports that 700,000 Russians have fled the country since Putin announced the mobilization order. After the announcement of mobilization, many kilometers of traffic jams formed at Russia's borders with

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

, Georgia,

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

: along the Georgian border, vehicles were lined up for at least and near Kazakhstan, cars were abandoned as motorists fled. Finland,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and the

Baltic Countries The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

announced they would not offer refuge to Russians fleeing mobilization.

Chair of the Senate of Kazakhstan The Chair of the Senate of Kazakhstan () is the head of the upper house of the Parliament of Kazakhstan who is responsible for opening sessions, preside over regular and extraordinary joint meetings. The post was created on 30 January 1996 at the ...

Mäulen Äşimbaev Maulen Sagatkhanovich Ashimbayev (, , , born 28 January 1971) is a Kazakh politician who is serving as a member and chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan. He served as the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration from 2019 to 2020, Assi ...

announced that Kazakhstan would not issue permanent residence permits to Russian citizens evading mobilization without permission from the Russian government. More than 200,000 Russian men fled to Kazakhstan. In the first week after the announcement, Georgia took in the most refugees. Two men fled Russia by boat, landing in the small town of

Gambell, Alaska Gambell () is a city in the Nome Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located on St. Lawrence Island, it had a population of 640 at the 2020 census, down from 681 in 2010. History ''Sivuqaq'' is the Yupik language name for St. Law ...

on 4 October and sought for asylum. On 27 September 2022, White House press secretary

Karine Jean-Pierre Karine Jean-Pierre (born August 13, 1974) is an American political advisor who served as the White House Press Secretary, White House press secretary from May 2022 to January 2025, and a senior advisor to President Joe Biden from October 2024 t ...

encouraged Russian men trying to escape being called up to fight in Ukraine to apply for

asylum in the United States The United States recognizes the right of asylum for individuals seeking protections from persecution, as specified by international and federal law. People who seek protection while outside the U.S. are termed refugees, while people who se ...

. In early 2023, the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...

resumed deportations of Russians who had fled Russia due to mobilization and political persecution. Texas-based attorney Jennifer Scarborough said that "Fleeing the draft can actually be a valid claim for asylum. If we’re against this war n Ukraine then why are we saying that Russia has a right to conduct this draft and deport people to fight in this draft and to fight in Ukraine? I don’t understand how you put those two policies side by side." Russians heading to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

by boat in hopes of evading Putin's mobilization have been denied entry in most cases. In December 2022, Kazakhstan reportedly deported a Russian citizen, a former presidential guard, who fled mobilization; Kazakhstan denied his asylum claim in late November while human rights activists have said that the country's law on refugees allows him to stay in Kazakhstan while his lawyers appeal. Kazakhstan and

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

agreed to share personal data of Russians fleeing mobilization and persecution with the Russian government. Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported that military courts have received thousands of

AWOL Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...

cases since Russia's 2022 mobilization. As of 2024, France was the only EU country accepting Russian

deserters Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...

without a passport and allowing them to apply for asylum.

Protests

The

Vesna Vesna may refer to: * Vesna (mythology), female characters associated with youth and springtime in early Slavic mythology *Vesna (given name), Slavic female name, includes a list of people with the name *Vesna (surname), includes a list of people ...

movement called for wide-ranging protest action. The action called "No mogilization ''(grave-ization)''" was scheduled for the evening of 21 September. Protests against the mobilization for the war with Ukraine occurred throughout Russia. Protesters in Moscow chanted the slogan "Putin to the trenches!" As of 22:00 Moscow time on 21 September, more than 1,233 people had already been detained in 38 cities.

Moscow police The Moscow Police (), officially the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of the City of Moscow (), is the police force for Moscow, Russia. The Moscow Police is the largest regional police force in Russia with 50,500 officers as of 2010, with p ...

intelligence received that the detained men were handed summons to the military registration and enlistment office. Peskov noted that the delivery of subpoenas to detainees did not contradict the law. In Sokolinaya Gora, a detainee was threatened with a criminal case and 10-year prison sentence for refusing to receive a summons. The Moscow prosecutor's office warned organizing or participating in anti-war protests could lead to up to 15 years in prison. In

Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...

several dozen women tried to hold a protest rally against mobilization. All of them were detained. On 22 September, in

Babayurt Babayurt (, ) is a rural locality (a selo) and the administrative center of Babayurtovsky District of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list ...

Republic of Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...

, the federal highway was blocked at the exit from the village. A group of villagers gathered near the local military registration and enlistment office, where there was a clash between them and a government employee. On 24 September, anti-mobilization rallies organized by Vesna took place in many Russian cities. The rallies were marked by mass detentions not only of protesters, but also of ordinary passers-by. According to

OVD-Info OVD-Info () is an independent Russian human rights media project aimed at combating political persecution. Its main focus is freedom of assembly. OVD-Info is one of Russia’s largest human rights NGOs. History OVD-Info was founded in December ...

, more than 750 people were detained by 22:30

Moscow Time Moscow Time (MSK; ) is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia, and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg. It is the second-westernmost of the eleven time zones of Russia, after the non-continguous Kaliningrad enclave. It h ...

. On 25 September, the women of

Yakutsk Yakutsk ( ) is the capital and largest city of Sakha, Russia, located about south of the Arctic Circle. Fueled by the mining industry, Yakutsk has become one of Russia's most rapidly growing regional cities, with a population of 355,443 at the ...

went to a rally under the slogans "We will not give up our husbands," "No to genocide," and "No to war". People gathered in , a traditional round dance symbolizing the blessing of mothers for the safe return of their husbands and sons. The women were soon dispersed by the security forces. On the same day, residents of

Endirey Endirey (; OKATO: 82254815001) is a village#Russia, village (''selo'') in the Khasavyurt District of the Republic of Dagestan in Russia. It is the center of the Endireyskoe Rural Settlement and has a population of 7,863 (2015). Endirey is an imp ...

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...

, took part in a rally against mobilization. The police fired live rounds into the air in an attempt to disperse the rally. On 26 September, a man set himself on fire at the

Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...

bus station. On 30 September, rapper Walkie T committed suicide, saying in a video posted to Telegram that he refused to kill another man. On 5 October 2022, recently mobilized Russian soldiers protested in

Belgorod Oblast Belgorod Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Belgorod. , the population is 1,540,486. History During the Princely ...

over their poor living conditions and lack of equipment. On 15 October 2022, relatives of men drafted from the

Bryansk Oblast Bryansk Oblast (), also known as Bryanshchina (, ), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Bryansk. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 1,169,161. Geography Bryansk Oblast lies in weste ...

released a video appeal to Vladimir Putin, asking him to intervene to bring their sons and husbands back home. In November 2023, wives and mothers of mobilized men protested in several Russian cities for their demobilization. They faced pressure and intimidation from state authorities. On 31 May 2024, Russia’s

Justice Ministry A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

added the women's organization ''Put’ Domoi'' (The Way Home), a group of wives, mothers and sisters of soldiers who campaign for the return of mobilized men from Ukraine, to the list of so-called ‘ foreign agents’.

Attacks

After the announcement of mobilization,

's legal team promised to render assistance to anyone who would try to evade conscription. According to

Ivan Zhdanov Ivan Yurievich Zhdanov (; born 17 August 1988) is a Russian politician and lawyer. He was the director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and is a member of the Central Council of the Russia of the Future political party. Biography Ivan ...

, Navalny's headquarters would support any form of protest over mobilization, including arson of military registration offices throughout the country. On 21 September, a recruiting station was set on fire in

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

. On the night of 21–22 September in Lomonosov,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, a registration office was set on fire. In the city of

Gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

, Orenburg Oblast, unknown people also tried to set fire to a military recruitment building. In

Tolyatti Tolyatti or Togliatti ( , ; , ), known before 1964 as Stavropol, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Samara Oblast, Russia. It is the largest city in Russia which is neither the administrative center of a federal subjects of Rus ...

, an unknown person threw a Molotov cocktail at the city hall building. On 23 September, it was reported that military recruitment offices were set on fire in the cities of Svobodny,

Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( ) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about north of Vladivostok. As of the 2021 Russian c ...

Kamyshin Kamyshin ( rus, Камышин, p=kɐˈmɨʂɨn) is a city in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volgograd Reservoir of the Volga River, in the estuary of the Kamyshinka River. Its population was Past populations for Kam ...

, and the village of Tselinnoye. On 24 September, the military office in

Kansk Kansk () is a town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on both banks of the Kan River. Population: History and economy Founded in 1628 as a Russian fort, it was transferred to its current location in 1636 and granted town status in 1782. Th ...

and the office of

United Russia The All-Russian Political Party United Russia (, ) is the Ruling party, ruling List of political parties in Russia, political party of Russia. As the largest party in the Russian Federation, it holds 325 (or 72.22%) of the 450 seats in the St ...

in Salavat were set on fire. On 25 September, there were attempts to set fire to registration offices in

Ruzayevka Ruzayevka (; , ''Orozaj''; , ''Orazaj oš'') is a town in the Republic of Mordovia, Russia, located on the Insar River, southwest of Saransk. Population: History The first settlement on the site of the city was given to Uraza Tankacheev in 16 ...

Chernyakhovsk Chernyakhovsk (; German: Insterburg) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, and the administrative center of Chernyakhovsky District. Located at the confluence of the Instruch and Angrapa rivers, which unite to become the Pregolya river bel ...

, Kirovsk, village administrations in Bereslavka (

Volgograd Oblast Volgograd Oblast ( rus, Волгоградская область, p=vəɫɡɐˈgratskəjə ˈobɫəsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the Volga region, lower Volga region of Southern Russia ...

) and (

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast (, ; ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Russian census, 2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Russian census ...

), and in

Uryupinsk Uryupinsk () is a town in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located northwest of Volgograd on the Khopyor River. Population: Etymology There are two theories of the historical background for the town's name. One is that it is from name of a Tartar p ...

and

Tarusa Tarusa () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Tarussky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Oka River, northeast of Kaluga, the administrative center of the oblast. ...

. On 26 September, during a meeting with recently mobilized recruits in

Ust-Ilimsk Ust-Ilimsk ( rus, Усть-Илимск, p=usʲtʲ ɪˈlʲimsk) is a town in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Angara River. Population: 53,000 (1977). History An '' ostrog'' (fortress) was built on the present site of the town in the ...

(

Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast (; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara River, Angara, Lena River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is ...

), a man opened fire at the head of the draft board, who ended up in intensive care.Частичная «могилизация». Что делать, если вас могут отправить на фронт
// Север. Реалии According to local media, before opening fire, the attacker said: “Now we’ll all go home!”.

In Ukraine

Ukrainian President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

called on Russians to not submit to "criminal mobilization", saying "Russian commanders do not care about the lives of Russians — they just need to replenish the empty spaces left by the dead, wounded, those who fled or the Russian soldiers that were captured." Ukrainian authorities said that Russians forcibly mobilized and sent to Ukraine could surrender. According to the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister

Iryna Vereshchuk Iryna Andriivna Vereshchuk (, ; born 30 November 1979) is a Ukrainian social activist, politician, and former People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 9th Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, 9th convocation. On 4 November 2021, Vereshchuk was appointed Deputy P ...

, those who surrender will be guaranteed security. In a statement issued by the Ukrainian Presidential Office on 24 September, President Zelenskyy outlined a three-point promise to any Russian soldier who chooses to surrender: # "First, you will be treated in a civilized manner, in accordance with all conventions." # "Second, no one will know the circumstances of your surrender, no one in Russia will know that your surrender was voluntary." # "And third, if you are afraid to return to Russia and do not want an exchange, we will find a way to ensure this as well." He ended this outline saying that "Ukraine will do everything for its victory" and that "no tricks will help the occupier."

Oleksiy Danilov Oleksiy Miacheslavovych Danilov (; born 7 September 1962) is a Ukrainian politician who was the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine from 2019 to 2024, when he was replaced by Oleksandr Lytvynenko, the former head o ...

, Secretary of the

National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, ( NSDCU; , ''RNBOU'') or RNBO, is the coordinating state body of the executive power under the President of Ukraine on issues of national security and defense. It is a state agency tasked wi ...

, called the decision on partial mobilization a "complex program for the disposal of Russians." In an interview with ''

Bild ''Bild'' (, ) or ''Bild-Zeitung'' (, ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper '' Bild am Sonntag'' () is published instead, which has a differen ...

'', Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine was waiting for such a step from Putin, summarizing: “Putin wants to drown Ukraine in blood. But also in the blood of their own soldiers.” For Ukrainian society, the Russian mobilization did not enter national news, as it had been discussed since the start of the conflict. Online, the news was met with memes about the "couch troops of the Russian Federation" (people who called for a tougher war online and now have the opportunity to actually go to the front and put their ideas into practice) and compensation for the families of Russian military casualties.

Anton Herashchenko Anton Yuriyovych Gerashchenko (, born 10 February 1979) is a current official advisor and a former deputy minister at the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs. He is a former member of the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) from 2014 to 20 ...

, an advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, estimated that Russia would begin a new wave of mobilization in January 2023.

International

Government representatives and diplomats from European countries and the United States described Putin's decision to mobilize as a sign of Russia's failure in the war with Ukraine, a step toward escalation, and an indication of panic in the Russian leadership. Some representatives noted that their governments will continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine to protect against Russian aggression. Other Western politicians have also expressed disregard of Putin's threats of nuclear escalation. * Czech Foreign Minister

Jan Lipavský Jan Lipavský (born 2 July 1985) is a Czech politician and information technology manager who has been serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs (Czech Republic), Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic since December 2021, in the Petr Fia ...

stated that the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

will not issue humanitarian visas to Russians who have fled to avoid mobilization. The Czech Republic stopped issuing visas to Russian citizens in February 2022. *

Prime Minister of Estonia The prime minister of Estonia () is the head of government of the Estonia, Republic of Estonia. The prime minister is nominated by the President of Estonia, president after appropriate consultations with the parliamentary factions and confirmed ...

Kaja Kallas Kaja Kallas (; born 18 June 1977) is an Estonian politician and diplomat. She was the first female prime minister of Estonia, a role she held from 2021 until 2024, when she resigned in advance of her appointment as High Representative of the ...

announced that the country would not provide asylum to Russians fleeing mobilization. * French President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

said he had "no rational explanation" for the steps of Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, adding that it was likely "a combination of

ressentiment In philosophy, ''ressentiment'' (; ) is one of the forms of resentment or hostility. The concept was of particular interest to some 19th-century thinkers, most notably Friedrich Nietzsche. According to their use, ''ressentiment'' is a sense of hos ...

, the strategy of hegemony in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

and, I would say, the consequences of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, isolation." *

German Chancellor The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Cabinet and heads the executive branch. Th ...

Olaf Scholz Olaf Scholz (; born 14 June 1958) is a German politician who served as the Chancellor of Germany from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice-Chancellor of Ge ...

called the mobilization "an act of desperation" that will "make everything worse," noting that he "completely underestimated" from the beginning the willingness of the Ukrainian people to resist. German Interior Minister

Nancy Faeser Nancy Faeser (; born 13 July 1970) is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), served as Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, Federal Minister of the Interior and Communit ...

said that "Deserters threatened with serious repression can, as a rule, obtain international protection in Germany." However, in 2024, German authorities ordered the deportation of Russian nationals who wanted to avoid mobilization and criticized Putin's government on the grounds that they would not face

persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

in Russia. * In response to the move, the IDF issued an order to return to Israel all Israeli soldiers who are on vacation in Russia, and a blanket ban on departures from Israel to Russia for IDF soldiers. In addition, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning for Israelis with Russian citizenship to Russia, warning them that they could be conscripted. * Kazakh President

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev (born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakhstani politician and diplomat who has served as the second president of Kazakhstan since 2019. He previously served as Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 ...

stated that

would help fleeing Russians, saying that "Most of them are forced to leave because of the current hopeless situation." However, in December 2022, Kazakhstan deported back to Russia a Russian citizen who fled mobilization. Kazakhstan said it would extradite Russians wanted for evading mobilization. In January 2023, Kazakhstan announced they were tightening visa rules, a move that is expected to make it more difficult for Russians to remain in the country. *

Former A former is an object, such as a template, gauge or cutting die, which is used to form something such as a boat's hull. Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex curvature. A former may become an integral part of the ...

President of Mongolia The president of Mongolia is the executive head of state of Mongolia.Montsame NW Agency. ''Mongolina''. 2006, , p. 42 The current president is Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh. Political parties with representation in the State Great Khural nominate ...

Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj (; born 30 March 1963) is a Mongolian politician and journalist who served as President of Mongolia from 2009 to 2017. He previously served as prime minister in 1998 and again from 2004 to 2006. Elbegdorj was one of the k ...

spoke on behalf of the World Mongol Federation honouring Russian refugees bound to "start freeing

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

country from dictatorship" and welcoming

Buryats The Buryats are a Mongolic ethnic group native to southeastern Siberia who speak the Buryat language. They are one of the two largest indigenous groups in Siberia, the other being the Yakuts. The majority of the Buryats today live in their ti ...

Tuvans The Tuvans (from Russian ) or Tyvans (from Tuvan ) are a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to Siberia that live in Tuva, Mongolia, and China. They speak the Tuvan language, a Siberian Turkic language. In Mongolia, they are regarded as one ...

, and

Kalmyks Kalmyks (), archaically anglicised as Calmucks (), are the only Mongolic ethnic group living in Europe, residing in the easternmost part of the European Plain. This dry steppe area, west of the lower Volga River, known among the nomads as ...

"used as nothing more than cannon fodder". According to him, different countries should accept representatives of small nationalities whom the Russian authorities send to war. In particular, Mongolia is ready to shelter refugees. * Dutch Prime Minister

Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as the 14th Secretary General of NATO, secretary general of NATO since October 2024. He previously served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, prime minister of the Neth ...

called Putin's actions a "sign of panic," adding that the threat of nuclear weapons did not worry him. * In an interview with

PBS News ''PBS News Hour'', previously stylized as ''PBS NewsHour'', is the news division of PBS and an American daily evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations since October 20, 1975. It airs seven nights a week, and i ...

President of Poland The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...

Andrzej Duda Andrzej Sebastian Duda (born 16 May 1972) is a Polish lawyer and politician who has served as the sixth president of Poland since 2015. Before becoming president, he served as a Member of the Sejm from 2011 to 2014 and before becoming Member of ...

called the mobilization as "an attempt to save face" by Russia. * British Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace said that the mobilization is evidence of Russia's defeat. *

United States Ambassador to Ukraine The ambassador of the United States to Ukraine is the highest-ranking diplomatic position of the United States in Ukraine. The U.S. ambassadors are nominated by the President of the United States, president to serve as the country's diplomat, d ...

Bridget A. Brink noted that "fake referendums and mobilization are signs of Russia's weakness and failure." Speaking at the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

, Secretary of State

Antony J. Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 71st United States secretary of state from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secr ...

castigated Putin for "choosing not to end the war, but to expand it" through the mobilization, escalatory threats, and annexation "to add fuel to the fire that he started." He reminded the council of the protest and resistance among the Russian people, quoting the anti-mobilization protesters' chant of "Let our children live." Germany offered asylum to Russian oppositionists and conscripts who did not want to go to war with Ukraine. In contrast, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said that the country is preparing to introduce a complete ban on entry for Russian citizens on

Schengen Visa The visa policy of the Schengen Area is a component within the wider area of freedom, security and justice policy of the European Union. It applies to the Schengen Area and Cyprus, but not to EU member state Visa policy of Ireland, Ireland. The v ...

s. Estonia announced that they would close entry for all Russians who participated in the war with Ukraine, and Latvia refused to issue humanitarian visas to Russians who evade mobilization, citing security concerns.

Analysis

According to the

, mobilization is unlikely to allow Russia to significantly increase its combat power. According to lawyer Alexei Tabalov, writing for '' The Insider'', one of the objectives of amending the laws on desertion was the "enslavement of military personnel at the front." Other experts say that Russia suffers from a lack of infrastructure to train and equip the mobilized, caused by heavy losses of equipment and ammunition on the battlefield and the abolition of many logistics and management structures that once allowed the countries of the former Soviet Union to quickly train and arm mobilized conscripts. Jean-Christophe Noël, associate researcher at IFRI, said that "One of the Russian weaknesses is joint-army combats, and their reservists are not at all prepared for that. They would be used as

cannon fodder Cannon fodder is an informal, derogatory term for combatants who are regarded or treated by government or military command as expendable in the face of enemy fire. The term is generally used in situations where combatants are forced to fight agains ...

in any attempt at an offensive." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' noted that by announcing the mobilization, Putin took a big risk – according to polls, young men may begin to express opposition to the war due to the mobilization decree. According to the analysis of economists Oleg Itskhoki and Maxim Mironov, Russia may lose more than 10% of men aged 20–29 as a result of losses in the war and emigration. After the end of the war, Russia expects a surge in crime. Also, a significant number of children, especially in poor regions, will be left without fathers, which will lead to a new surge in crime in 5–10 years, when these children become teenagers. Doug Klain, a nonresident fellow at the

Atlantic Council The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...

’s Eurasia Center, wrote that "Sending untrained, underequipped, and largely unwilling men to fight in Ukraine will be a slaughter with little precedent in modern war fighting... In the United States, new Army recruits need 10 weeks of basic training, at a bare minimum, to be ready for combat." Gustaf Gressel, a senior policy fellow at the Berlin office of the

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decis ...

, said that "My gut feeling is that Putin doesn't really care about the inferior quality f new troops being assembled So my guess is that the overall aim of this is to make Ukraine run out of bullets before Russia runs out of soldiers."

Casualties

As of 5 July 2024,

BBC News Russian BBC News Russian () – formerly BBC Russian Service () – is part of the BBC World Service's foreign language output, one of nearly 40 languages it provides. History The BBC's first Russian-language broadcast was a translation of a speech ...

and Mediazona confirmed by name that a total of 7,152 Russians who were mobilized had been killed, of which 54 died within Russia due to various accidents. With 7,152 mobilized personnel to have been confirmed killed, mobilized fatalities account for 12.2 per cent of all identified Russian personnel who have been confirmed killed by BBC News Russian and Mediazona.
Due to the

fog of war The fog of war is the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations. The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding one's own capability, adversary capability, and adversary Intent (Military), inten ...

and deliberate misinformation campaigns on both sides, the real number of mobilized recruits killed in Ukraine is unknown. Newly mobilized soldiers from the

Samara Oblast Samara Oblast (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Samara. From 1935 to 1991, it was known as Kuybyshev Oblast. As of the Rus ...

were among those killed in Ukrainian shelling of the Makiivka military quarters on New Year's Eve on 31 December 2022. Ukraine claimed the attack killed up to 400 Russian soldiers and wounded 300 others. The attack was carried out using

HIMARS The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS ) is a light multiple rocket launcher developed in the late 1990s for the United States Army and mounted on a standard U.S. Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) M1140 truck frame ...

rockets. By 13 February 2023, BBC News Russian and Mediazona had identified the names of 107 mobilized Russians who had been killed during the shelling. Military experts speaking to the ''Wall Street Journal'' stated that the heavy Russian losses in the

Battle of Vuhledar The battle of Vuhledar was a major battle between the Russian and Ukrainian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under ...

indicated orders to soldiers were coming from the top down, combined with very little training of the mobilized soldiers. Analysts believed many of the Russian casualties and loss of equipment stemmed from the makeup of the Russian brigades, being predominantly untrained mobilized recruits.

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russian mobilization, 2022 2022 controversies Russian invasion of Ukraine September 2022 in Russia October 2022 in Russia Conscription in Russia Vladimir Putin