Russia’s losses in Ukraine have reignited calls for general mobilization, something President Putin has been anxious to avoid.
Mass mobilization
In a clear sign that the Kremlin is still keen to preserve a sense of normalcy in Russia, Mr Putin spent Saturday opening a spinning wheel and martial arts center in Moscow. Asked about growing calls for mass mobilization, Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesman, said Monday that it was up to the defense ministry to decide and insisted the war would continue until it achieved its goals. The Russian military attracts potential recruits from some of the country’s poorest regions, even from prisons, offering monthly pay that one can only dream of paying in half a year in an economically depressed region. But even Putin loyalists are beginning to admit that simply throwing men into battle against Ukraine’s well-equipped and highly motivated military is not going to help win this war.
