INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Russian military is calling up a higher-than-normal number of reservists for its annual training exercises in at least one region of the
call-ups could be an effort to make up for lagging volunteer recruitment or a step toward a major offensive in Ukraine as Russia seeks to
demanding that they provide lists of their male employees eligible for reserve duty.These lists must contain detailed information: First and
last name, date and place of birth, level of fitness, military specialty, military rank, position in the company, address and phone number,
a military commissariat official told The Moscow Times on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to contact the media."Letters
are sent to all organizations registered in the Moscow region
Our military enlistment office is supposed to gather all persons liable for military duty for training camps for a few weeks in mid-June,"
the military enlistment office employee said.Representatives from four Moscow region enterprises confirmed this information to The Moscow
operate at limited capacity or halt their operations altogether."At my enterprise, more than 20% of the staff of 1,000 people could be taken
That's how many fall under the criteria," a senior manager at an industrial enterprise in the northwestern part of the Moscow region told
The Moscow Times.He said he received a letter from the local military enlistment center at the end of March."For us, this potentially means
News AgencySenior managers of three other enterprises and companies in the western and northern Moscow region also confirmed that they had
received requests from military enlistment offices to provide detailed data on their employees."We may also have to suspend operations for a
while," a senior manager at the company, more than 100 kilometers from Moscow, told The Moscow Times."We are now figuring out how the
company will operate when the men leave for military training camps," the manager said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was
not authorized to speak to the media.Higher-than-normal quotas for reservist training camps could also take place in other Russian regions,
training camps provide retraining in a military occupational specialty
And for the army, it is a system check for the General Staff's organizational and mobilization department," a source close to the Defense
Ministry told The Moscow Times on condition of anonymity.The number of people called up for training camps may vary by region, the source
Ukraine have been stuck in a war of attrition for months
But given that Ukraine is short on ammunition due to stalled U.S
aid, and the Russian military has made slow but steady advances in the Donetsk region, Putin's army does not need a significant increase in
The military offensive itself would also need to be rehearsed and new soldiers must be trained, said the expert, who spoke on condition of
anonymity because he is not permitted to speak to foreign media.Reservists of the Russian Army take part in combat training at firing ranges
Russian Defense Ministry / TASSThe increase in call-ups for military training signals that the authorities want to raise the level of combat
The Moscow Times."When people are pulled away from work and called up more than in peacetime, it's an indication that the chances of them
voluntary and coercive recruitment of contract soldiers, the Russian army appears to have been able to compensate for the heavy losses it
took while holding back the Ukrainian offensive and then launching an active Russian offensive, he said."But this flow is not limitless and
may even start to dry up despite the increased financial incentive
It will need to be replaced by someone
However, it's hardly a matter of urgency," Sharp said.The alternative, Sharp said, would be the Kremlin deciding that it can achieve its
then these reservists may be needed
small favor to ask.As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a
"foreign agent" by the Russian government
This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.We, the journalists
of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced
Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken
But we need your help to continue our critical mission.Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference
If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2
It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent
