The Russian military will not mobilize reserves as it gears up for an annual call-up of young men for compulsory military service, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday.
“There are no plans for additional mobilization measures,” deputy head of the military’s mobilization department, Rear Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky, said in a briefing.
The fall military call-up will begin as scheduled on Oct. 1 and no conscripts will be sent to fight in Ukraine during their 12-month training period, he added.
Russia enlisted 147,000 men during this year’s spring call-up.
Tsimlyansky’s remarks come amid growing speculation that Russia’s Armed Forces may seek to plug manpower shortages in Ukraine by launching a second wave of mobilization.
A “partial” mobilization in September 2022 saw the recruitment of some 300,000 men as well as a mass exodus from the country of Russians who sought to avoid military service.
Since then, Russia has carried out a volunteer recruitment campaign to attract more men into the military as the war in Ukraine enters its 19th month.
Tsimlyansky on Friday reported a “significant increase” of Russians who have voluntarily signed contracts with the Armed Forces.
