“There Russia plans to build an army of 2 million people through successive waves of mobilisation“. This is the latest alarm raised by theUkrainian Defense Intelligence (Gur) based on the extent of the mobilization taking place in Russian territory. Meanwhile, according to reports from British intelligence, Moscow is using the work of prisoners in prison to increase the production of weapons, crucial for the continuation of military operations in Ukraine.
The Kiev alarm
According to forecasts from Kiev, they would have been enrolled in the first recruitment 300 thousand people. The GUR does not exclude that the Kremlin may announce another mobilization in the coming days, holding that this time others 500 thousand Russians they could join the military.
Furthermore, the extent of these measures would indicate i plans of Russia to create an army of about two million people compared to the initial goal of 1.5 million soldiers.
Mobilization initiatives are even underway in the country, including legislative amendments and the preparation of educational centers. Gur himself recalled that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has banned all potential conscripts – apparently the majority of men of military age – from leaving the country since January 9th.
Most men of draft age had previously been allowed to leave Russia, but those who had received a summons from a military drafting office or were about to receive one were barred from leaving.
“Mobilization still in progress”
On September 21, Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of 300,000 conscripts for the war against Ukraine. On October 28, the Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoiguhe said that Russia had managed to mobilize 300,000 people with an average age of 35.
On 31 October, the Russian president announced that the mobilization was over, without signing any decree to end it officially. Putin himself denied in December that Moscow was planning further mobilisation, but the Kyiv Independent instead he argues that the Kremlin is continuing the covert recruitment.
“Ukraine’s military intelligence does not rule out that the Russian leadership will announce the next wave of mobilization in the coming days. 500 thousand Russians will come from the Russian Federation, and this will allow the terrorist country to create strategic reserves”wrote the intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in a Facebook post.
“Preparations for the announcement of the next wave of mobilization are already underway in Russia. At the legislative level, changes are made to the laws of the Russian Federation governing mobilization. There is also one active preparation of educational centers”Kiev added.
Fly chasing men?
Another intelligence, as mentioned, has analyzed Russia’s movements in detail. “The Russian defense manufacturing sector is very likely to resort to using prison labor in an effort to meet wartime production demands. In November 2022, Uralvagonzavod (UVZ), Russia’s largest tank manufacturer, told local media it would employ 250 inmates after meeting with the Federal Criminal Service (FSIN).”announced in its daily update theBritish intelligence.
It exists, they still remember UK 007,”a long tradition of prison labor in Russia, but since 2017 forced labor has been reintroduced as a specific criminal punishment“. The Federal Penal Service manages one of the largest prison populations in the world, numbering over 400,000 inmates, but “he was often accused of extreme brutality and corruption“.
In the absence of volunteers, the analysis continues, “convict labor will be especially in demand from manufacturers of weapons relatively low-tech such as UVZ, which are almost certainly under intense pressure from Moscow to ramp up their production“.
Ukraine’s alarm: “Russia wants to create an army of 2 million soldiers”