On Monday, a gunman apparently worried about Russia’s chaotic military maneuver opened fire at a draft office in Siberia, seriously injuring a recruiting officer, as the Kremlin first First admitted the mistake of calling hundreds of thousands of civilians to support Russia’s struggling military in Ukraine.
Authorities in the far east of Irkutsk arrested the attacker, identifying him as Ruslan Zinin, in his 20s. The suspect’s mother, Marina Zinina, told a local news agency that her son’s close friend received a draft summons despite never serving in the army, after Russia’s Defense Minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, pledged last week that only men with military experience and a specialty would be called up.
“Ruslan was very upset about this, as his friend did not serve in the army,” Zinina was quoted as saying. “They said they were going to raise a portion, but it turned out that they were taking everyone.”
The shooting in the town of Ust-Ilimsk is the latest attack on a recruitment center in Russia since Putin launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February, and is believed to be the first to lead to serious injury. . It comes as large numbers of civilians – especially ethnic minorities and people in remote parts of Russia and the territories it controls – are being caught up in the Kremlin’s conscription spiral. , even as serious questions remain about Moscow’s ability to properly train and equip recruits. before deploying them to the front lines.
There have been numerous reports of ineligibles being summoned to report on duty, leading to criticism of the process of maneuvering around the country – and rarely acknowledged by Russian officials. that mistakes were made.
Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, on Monday acknowledged that there were irregularities in the call, but sought to blame the local authorities that carried out the mobilization.
“There are cases where the decree is violated – in some areas, governors are actively working to correct the situation,” he told reporters in a daily phone call. He said journalists, officials and NGOs were doing “active and necessary work” in reporting on the alleged violations.
Governors of several regions of Russia – including Belgorodon the border with Ukraine, and Kostroma, Vladimir and Yakutia and Magadan in the far east – admitted that those who did not meet Mr. Shoigu’s standards were called up.
“Cases that do not comply with these required criteria are being eliminated, and we expect that the rejection rate will increase, and all errors will be corrected,” Peskov said.
With Mr. Putin dissenting against the outlaw war, attacks on draft offices have increased since the Russian invasion began. At least 54 recruitment centers and administrative buildings have been burned since then, according to Mediazona, an independent Russian news agency. 17 attacks have occurred since the call was announced last Wednesday.
As opposition to mobilization grows, and amid rumors that Russian authorities may close the country’s borders to keep the trustees from leaving, an estimated 261,000 men According to the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, fled Russia between Wednesday and Saturday last week.
At a press conference on Monday, Peskov said that “at the moment no decision has been made” on whether to close Russia’s borders. According to Tass, the Russian state news agency.
With the Russian military fighting to thwart Ukraine’s advances in the east and south, tens of thousands of draft notices have been issued, leading analysts to believe more recruits will soon be sent out. frontline. Britain’s defense intelligence agency said on Monday Moscow was facing major administrative and logistical hurdles in training conscripts, many of whom have had no military experience for many years. five.
“The lack of military trainers, and the hasty initiation of the deployment process by Russia, suggest that many of the drafted troops will be deployed to the front lines with minimal preparation involved,” the agency said. mandarin”. its latest daily rating. “They can suffer a high attrition rate.”
