According to the source, about a third of them will be sent to Donbass.
Throughout the Russian Federation are formed volunteer battalions to be sent to war in Ukraine. Analysts estimate that more than 30,000 volunteers could be mobilized to fill the ranks of the Russian army.
At the same time, as writes CNN, this does not always require relevant military experience.
According to the publication, Russia is looking for a replacement for its military, which was exhausted in the five months of the war, and those who were liquidated by the defenders of Ukraine. Of the 30,000 mobilized, about a third of them plan to be sent to the Donbass.
Last week, British intelligence chief MI6 Richard Mu expressed confidencethat “it will be increasingly difficult for the Russians to supply labor over the next few weeks.” This, in turn, will give Ukraine a key opportunity to strike back.
Putin has long resisted the idea of general mobilization in Russia, and the spring 2022 call was similar to last year’s call. Volunteer battalions are one way to replenish the size of the Russian army without such a radical step.
At the same time, it is noted that calls to join them, as a rule, are focused on poorer and more isolated regions, using “quick money” as bait.
The publication wonders what impact these battalions can have. Chechen volunteer detachments played a huge role in the Donbass campaign, especially in Mariupol. But they are relatively well equipped and have great combat experience. The battalions gathering elsewhere are clearly not.
Some battalions will engage exclusively in combat support and combat support operations, while others will reinforce existing military units or form combat battalions, Ekaterina Stepanenko, a Russia researcher at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, was quoted by CNN as saying.
According to her, the Russian leadership plans to allocate a month to train volunteers, but this is unlikely to turn them into effective soldiers without military experience.
