ISW: Kremlin prepares for protracted war in Ukraine

The Kremlin is reportedly trying to mobilize industry to support the protracted war effort in Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said, citing Ukrainian intelligence.

Russia’s government in early August banned some employees and the entire leadership of the state-owned Rostec industrial group from taking vacations, the US military think tank said in a report, according to Bloomberg

Russia’s military-industrial complex, chaired by President Vladimir Putin, is preparing to change its state defense orders program by early September to increase spending by about $10 billion, the ISW said.

It is recalled that the State Duma approved two bills in July that give the Kremlin the power to compel the country’s businesses to supply the Russian military and their employees to work overtime in order to support the invasion of Ukraine.

One of the two bills states that the state can impose “special economic measures” during military operations, requiring businesses to supply goods and services to the military at the request of the Russian government.

An explanatory note attached to the bill states that the military needs materials and weapons repair in order to continue its campaign in Ukraine.

The second bill, which was also approved in first reading, provides for amendments to labor laws, which give the government the right to regulate working hours and determine days off for workers in certain companies.

In practice, this means that the Kremlin will be able to compel employees of these companies that supply the Russian military to work at night, on weekends and on holidays, even without taking annual leave.