Putin Has ‘Half A Million’ People At Disposal To Fight Ukraine As Russia Opens Floodgates To Recruit Foreign Soldiers

 Putin Has ‘Half A Million’ People At Disposal To Fight Ukraine As Russia Opens Floodgates To Recruit Foreign Soldiers

In a pre-recorded televised announcement, the Russian leader said that the West aims to destroy Russia and that it has turned Ukrainian people into cannon fodder.

Furthermore, Putin alleged that the West is engaging in “nuclear blackmail,” noting that some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO member countries have made remarks about the possibility of using nuclear weapons against Russia.

To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for separate components and more modern than those of Nato countries and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin said.

“It’s not a bluff,” he further added.

As for the partial mobilization, he said, “We are talking about partial mobilization, that is, only citizens who are currently in reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all, those who served in the armed forces have a certain military specialty and relevant experience.”

Following Putin’s address, the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu provided more detail, saying the partial mobilization would involve drafting 300,000 additional personnel for the Russian military campaign in Ukraine.

Manpower Shortage Mires Russia’s Campaign 

The announcement of partial mobilization by the Russian President has come after Ukraine’s successful counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region, which forced the Russian forces to withdraw, highlighting Moscow’s major shortcoming in Ukraine – lack of manpower.

According to experts, while Russia has the manpower to capture individual cities, it is not sufficient to occupy the entirety of Ukraine or even the eastern Donbas region.

The Kharkiv region has a sizeable Russian-speaking population; therefore, its loss is seen as a significant blow to the Russian military campaign in Ukraine.

Moscow must certainly not want to see the loss suffered in Kharkiv repeating in other Russian-held areas, such as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, especially at a time when Russian-installed officials in these areas are set to have referendums to join Russia.

Where Does Russia Recruit Its Soldiers? 

Currently, the number of migrants in Russia is around six million people. Every year, this number varies from nine to eleven million, of which more than 80 percent of migrant workers come from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

According to the Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting (CABAR) of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), migrants are willing to join the Russian Army due to the promise of good payment and Russian citizenship.

For example, a Kyrgyzstani national who has been living in Moscow for four years and not planning to return to his homeland told CABAR that he is willing to join the Russian war effort in Ukraine to obtain Russian citizenship, as he is a convict in his native country and no one will offer him a good job.