Vladimir Putin’s ill-advised Ukraine war has made life difficult for Russians and nearly impossible to sustain for Russian troops. We previously heard leaked phone calls that revealed how lost and upset and infuriated that Russian soldiers felt after deployment. Following thousands of rapid-fire Russian casualties, Putin called up more soldiers in massive drafts that put virtually untrained soldiers into motion for certain death with little medical assistance (other than the directive to bring tampons for bullet wounds) to offer. Now, Russia is faced with the need for even more soldiers, and lawmakers are attempting to ward off the mass panic that arose from the last few rounds.
To briefly recap, Putin called up around 300,000 reservists in one round, which sent at least 180,000 Russians fleeing out of the country. That wasn’t great news for Putin’s cause, given that he had already lost half his army within months of invading Ukraine. This time This time, lawmakers have drafted a law, which Putin will soon sign, that aims to bar draftees from leaving the country. They’ll further find difficulty living any semblance of a normal life while in Russia, so they’ll have no choice but to obey the call, thus avoiding a panicked rush to the borders, as CNN reports about the new law:
It would allow for the electronic delivery of military call-up papers, in addition to traditional letters, and bans those liable for military service from traveling abroad. It also includes tough penalties for those who ignore a summons – barring them from getting a loan, moving into a new apartment, registering as self-employed and driving a vehicle.
CNN adds further word from Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov, who admitted that this bill is an attempt to “fix the mess” created by Putin’s previous enormous drafts. This also speaks to a lack of confidence from Russia in the ability to win this war without more drastic measures, including longer contracts for those drafted and deployed into Ukraine. In other words, Putin doesn’t plan on giving up this fight, which checks out for a leader who reportedly hides from reality and appears to be content with driving his country into the ground to stay in power.
(Via CNN)
Source: https://uproxx.com/viral/vladimir-putin-panic-another-draft-ukraine/