Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Friday said that the “partial mobilization” of 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine that Russia announced in September was complete.
Speaking at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin broadcast on state television, Shoigu told Putin: “The task set by you of (mobilizing) 300,000 people has been completed. No further measures are planned.”
Shoigu said that of the 300,000 mobilized recruits, 218,000 remained in training, while 82,000 had been deployed to the conflict zone, of which 41,000 were had been assigned to their units.
He said that in future, recruitment for the Ukraine campaign would be based on volunteers and professional soldiers, rather than mobilising more of Russia’s several million reservists.
Putin declared a “partial mobilization” of 300,000 reservists on Sept. 21, after a series of military defeats saw Russian forces routed from east Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and under increasing pressure in the southern Kherson region.
The move touched off an exodus of military age men from Russia, with tens of thousands heading for countries including Georgia, Armenia and Kazakhstan, which allow Russians to enter without visas.
Over 2,000 people arrested at anti-mobilization protests across Russia. There was public outcry over cases of men being mobilised despite medical exemptions, or a lack of military experience.
Responding to Shoigu, Putin acknowledged problems with mobilisation, saying that they were “inevitable”, and said that it was necessary to make “corrections” to the development of Russia’s armed forces.
