Russian President Vladimir Putin is under pressure to recruit more troops for the war, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources, UNN writes.
Details
"Months before President Vladimir Putin's inauguration in May, he met with defense ministry officials who pushed for a new round of mobilization to recruit more troops to compensate for Russia's losses on the front lines in Ukraine, a person briefed on the discussions said. putin rejected the idea, saying he wanted to use only those who voluntarily sign military contracts, the person said," the newspaper writes.
As the newspaper notes, the discussion "revealed the difficult dilemma facing Putin." "Although he has resisted mobilizing troops, which can have political costs, Western estimates show that Russia is now losing more men on the battlefield than it can recruit to replace them," the newspaper notes.
Neither the Kremlin nor the Russian Defense Ministry responded to requests for comment. Earlier this month, in response to a question about a new wave of mobilization, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "This is not under discussion.