Russian Defence Ministry puts pressure on Putin to announce new wave of mobilisation – the WSJ

The Wall Street Journal reports that the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defence continues to put pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to announce a new wave of mobilisation to bring in additional troops and compensate for the Kremlin's losses on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, citing a source in Moscow

Details: The newspaper writes that in early 2024, the Russian Defence Ministry leadership, and the-then minister Sergei Shoigu in particular, suggested that Putin conduct mobilisation prior to his so-called "inauguration", but he refused, insisting on using only volunteers who sign contracts with the military.

In July, Putin attempted to increase the size of the army by doubling the one-time payment for new recruits to 400,000 roubles, or about US$4,300.

Citing its sources, the WSJ says that now, the Russian defence ministry, chaired by a different minister, is having problems with a shortage of manpower again, which is why Russia cannot arrange a major counter-offensive in Kursk Oblast.

"More and more people are saying mobilisation is inevitable," said one of the WSJ sources.

The Wall Street Journal notes that the pressure for the next wave of mobilisation is growing as the number of dead and wounded in the war in Ukraine has reached approximately one million.

"Russia’s problems are becoming more acute. With Moscow’s troops heavily engaged in capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, Russia has turned to young and inexperienced conscripts and pulled troops from other parts of the front line in Ukraine to defend Russian territory," the WSJ writes.

The newspaper also notes that the Kremlin fears that another mobilisation could upset the balance in the Russian public's perception of the war, creating political risks for Putin.

Background:

• The Wall Street Journal estimated that the combined losses of Russian and Ukrainian forces since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022 could surpass one million troops.
• Colonel Roman Kostenko, the Secretary of the Ukrainian Parliament Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence, said that the WSJ's figure of 80,000 Ukrainian military killed in the war with Russia was overstated.
• On 18 September, Russia launched a website for the register of electronic summons – it is being tested in three oblasts: Ryazan, Sakhalin and the Republic of Mari El; the portal is to become fully operational on 1 November.

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