Russia On The Hunt For 1.2-M Men To Fight Putin's War In Ukraine

Russia plans to mobilize 1.2 million conscripts for war against Ukraine, the Russian media outlet Meduza reported. In Moscow, authorities seek to mobilize up to 16,000 people, according to a source close to Moscow's City Hall.

Photo Insert: Pro-war figures in Russia have welcomed the appointment of Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev - who was sanctioned by the UK for his role in commanding the Mariupol siege.

On Sept. 21, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the army planned to mobilize 300,000 conscripts for the war against Ukraine, Kyiv Independent reported.

At least five recruitment offices were burned in Russia amid mobilization.

Two military enlistment offices were set on fire in Khabarovsk and in Amur Oblast on the night of Sept. 22, Meduza reported.

Since Sept. 21, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced mobilization against Ukraine, Russians have tried to burn at least five recruitment offices in the country, including one in Saint Petersburg while some local administration buildings have also been attacked.

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko has distanced himself from Putin’s mobilization, saying his government doesn’t plan to mobilize Belarusians to help Russia fight its own war, state-controlled news agency Belta reported.

However, Belarus regularly holds military drills to be able to respond to "possible threats and terrorist attacks," Belta reported. There is at least one battalion of Belarussians fighting for Ukraine in the Donbas region.

In a sign the Kremlin was starting to worry about a backlash, the head of a top state-controlled TV station harshly criticized military authorities for hastily sweeping up random people to meet mobilization targets instead of calling up people with specific skills and recent military service, as Putin promised, Reuters, the Associated Press (AP) and Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

RT chief Margarita Simonyan lashed out at military conscription offices for “driving people mad” by rounding up those who weren't supposed to be drafted. “It's as if they were tasked by Kyiv to do that,” she said.

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