Russia and Ukraine Update
How Will Russia Mobilize 300,000 Troops?
Russia has announced a partial mobilization of troops and formally annexed Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, in referendums that Ukraine and western countries have deemed sham elections. These moves by the Russian government have been in response to Ukrainian advances in the Northeast and Southeast of the country, with the entire Kharkiv front collapsing in early September, with Russia retaliating with large-scale missile attacks causing deaths to civilians.
Ukraine has made significant progress in the eastern regions, with the Ukrainians taking back the same territory the Russians took in months, with Western countries supporting Ukraine by sending financial aid and weapons, such as the HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system. This logistical support has helped Ukraine take back lost territory, which has prompted Vladimir Putin to consider the use of nuclear weapons.
Russia claims their partial mobilization of troops only applies to those who served in past conflicts, with 300,000 men planned to be mobilized. Footage shared on the internet has shown conditions of squalor, with Russian conscription facilities being overcrowded to where conscripts were shown sleeping outside. There was a significant spike in google searches for “How to break your arm” in Russia as The Kremlin announced partial mobilization.
