Putin begins a hidden mobilization to recruit thousands of soldiers in universities and factories due to casualties in Ukraine

Of course, this mobilization is not public, since the draft of reservists that took place in September 2022 caused an explosion of popular discontent and mass exile of almost a million men of military age.

According to experts, this also means that the Russian president, Vladimir Putinintends to continue fighting – Saturday marks the 1,500th day of the invasion – since it does not expect Ukraine to voluntarily withdraw its troops within the new two-month period that Moscow has given kyiv.

For the first time, according to the Russian portal Conflict Intelligence Teamthe authorities of the Ryazan region officially confirmed the open secret of the existence of quotas for recruitment of volunteers. The governor, Pável Málkov, signed a provision on March 20 requiring companies to “select candidates for military service under contract.”

From March 20 to September 20, companies that have more than 150 employees, whether public or in private hands, must provide between 2 and 5 volunteerssays the document originally published a week ago in the regional government newspaper Riazanskie Vedomosti.

Those companies that have less than 300 workers must select two people; those that have between 300 and 500 employees on their staff, to three people. Those with more than 500 employees must present five candidates.

The CIT suspects that other regions have also been able to issue such provisions among their companies, but have never published them in official media.

Fines for non-compliance

If the company does not provide its quota recruits, it faces a fine of one million rubles (about $12,200) or the administrative arrest of its director for 30 days, according to the portal Medusa.

The Russian press comments that, although this can be appealed, the authorities can resort to unofficial measures to harass the company through, for example, inspections.

In his order, Malkov cites two decrees of the Russian president signed in 2022. However, independent jurists consider that the measure adopted by Ryazan is illegal.

According to Timoféi Vaskin, lawyer for the Recruit Schools organization, the presidential decrees force the regions to assume the social and economic cost of the war, not to impose the forced recruitment of volunteers in companies.

This comes just as the Kremlin maintains that a second mobilization is not on the table and the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, Dmitri Medvédevassured that “there is no need for it.”

“Those people who signed contracts (…) are more than enough to fulfill all military missions,” he told the agency. RIA-Nóvosti in an interview in which he estimated there would be 400,000 volunteers in 2025 and “more than 80,000” so far this year.

Universities, the new reserve

With the excuse of creating drone units, the Ministry of Defense set its sights on universities and vocational training institutes at the end of last year.

As reported this week by the portal Faridailythe Minister of Science and Higher Education, Valeri Falkov, informed the rectors of the largest Russian universities at the beginning of the year that, at a minimum, 2% of students must sign contracts with Defense.

That means that universities, where 2.2 million young people study, must recruit at least 44,000 soldiersa figure that would increase to 76,000 if technical schools are also included.

The Ministry of Defense aims to recruit 78,800 young people, including women, for the drone troops alone. Of them, 20,800 will be selected from recruits and soldiers from other units, according to the portal. Vazhnie Istorii.

Human rights organizations have warned that the contracts are theoretically for one year, but, in reality, they are indefinite, in addition to there is no guarantee that they will not be sent to the frontso they recommend students not to sign anything.

The press highlighted that, for the moment, very few students have signed contracts, despite the siren song of academic holidays, free education or threats of expulsion of those students with pending subjects.