Putin Escalates Ukraine War: Partial Draft Plans Mobilization of 300,000 More Men

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said today that the presidential decree for partial conscription foresees the mobilization of an additional 300,000 men to take part in the military operation, as Moscow calls it, in Ukraine.

In an interview on Russian state television, Shoigu clarified that students and those who served as draftees would not be conscripted, and that the majority of Russian reservists, who number one million, would also not be conscripted, as reported by Reuters and relayed by the Athens News Agency.

The Russian president said today that he has signed a partial mobilization order as Russian forces continue their operations in Ukraine. This decision paves the way for a major escalation of the war in Ukraine.

“In order to protect the motherland, its sovereignty (…) I consider it necessary to support the decision of the army general staff to partially mobilize the reservists, those who have already served in the army (…) and have an appropriate experience,” noted Putin.

“The decree on partial conscription has been signed” and will go into effect “today,” he explained.

The Russian president reiterated that Moscow’s goal is to “liberate” the Donbass in eastern Ukraine, while noting that most residents of the region do not wish to return under the “yoke” of Ukraine.

Russia has considered the provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk, which make up Donbass, independent states since 2014. Moscow now controls 60 percent of Donetsk and in July brought almost all of Luhansk under its control.