Mobilization escalated – Russia: Soldier shot conscription chief

The condition of the “military commissioner” is critical, Kobsev said. “The doctors are fighting for his life.” Since the partial mobilization ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin last Wednesday, there have been numerous protests, arrests and incidents across the country. Authorities also occasionally report arson attacks at the army’s district replacement offices, where reservists are called in.

Protests in republics against conscription
In the Russian republic of Dagestan, opposition to the march escalated in several places this weekend. Women attacked police officers with their fists because they wanted to prevent their husbands, sons or brothers from dying in the war in Ukraine. Many shouted that they had nothing against Ukrainians and therefore would not shoot at them. A police officer fired a submachine gun into the air to calm the angry crowd. Sometimes a long-distance road was closed with sit-ins by the Dagestanis.

To avoid conscription, tens of thousands of men fled the country by plane or car across the borders to the ex-Soviet republics of Kazakhstan (Central Asia) or Georgia (South Caucasus). Many families in Russia are terrified of losing loved ones in the war.

congestion at the borders
Border traffic to Finland also continues to increase. According to the Finnish authorities, nearly 17,000 Russians crossed the border this weekend. That is an 80 percent increase from the weekend before, said Taneli Repo, captain of the Finnish border agency in the southeast of the country. The Finnish government announced on Friday that Russian citizens would soon be refused entry to tourist visas.

Patriarch of Moscow: “The fallen will be forgiven their sins”
Meanwhile, the Russian Orthodox Church promises forgiveness to soldiers for all their sins if they sacrifice their lives in war. According to Kathpress, in a Sunday service, Patriarch Cyril I likened dying “in the performance of military duties” to God’s sacrificing his own son Jesus. At the same time, Cyril emphasized that the Church knows that those who die in the course of their military duties sacrifice themselves for others. “And so we believe that this sacrifice washes away all the sins that a person has committed,” said the patriarch.

Against the background of the protracted war of aggression against Ukraine and after numerous defeats by his own army, Russian President Putin had ordered a partial mobilization there. Now 300,000 reservists have to be called up for the Russian army. At the same time, Putin had tightened the laws against conscientious objectors. The responsibility for organizing conscription rests with the regional governors and the individual district military replacement offices in the area.

London: “Recruits poorly trained”
According to British intelligence, many Russian fighters recruited as a result of the recent partial mobilization are going to war in Ukraine without proper training or experience. Moscow now faces the enormous challenge of training its troops, a short report from the British Ministry of Defense revealed on Monday.

In the Russian army, unlike many western armies, it is customary to receive initial training within operational units rather than in special training institutes. However, many of these so-called third battalions are currently deployed in Ukraine. The lack of instructors and the hasty nature of the partial mobilization indicated that many soldiers were sent to the front without adequate preparation. This makes high losses likely.