Russia reportedly plans massive troop surge in Ukraine, targets Kharkiv
2:09 PM EDT, March 22, 2024
The Russian Ministry of Defense is reportedly planning to deploy an additional 300,000 soldiers to Ukraine, with a strategy to initiate the siege of Kharkiv, as informed by the independent Russian news outlet "Wiorstka".
Referencing "Wiorstka", another independent media platform, "Meduza", mentions that the Russian authorities are expected to concentrate on mobilizing reservists. Furthermore, the Kremlin is purportedly aiming to put pressure on conscripts, particularly those nearing the end of their service, encouraging them to sign contracts for extended duty.
Reports suggest that extensive preparations for this massive mobilization effort are already underway. In Moscow, defence-related firms and government-backed organizations have started to issue certificates that exempt their employees from being drafted, while military recruitment centres recall lawyers and psychologists who assisted with the previous mobilization drive in the fall of 2022.
While officials are portraying this as a routine spring draft, independent reporters are calling it "mobilization 2.0."
From a special operation to a war
"Meduza" recalls predictions by independent experts that President Vladimir Putin might opt for another round of mobilizations post-presidential elections. Although there are no official plans for such actions from the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, the President's press secretary, declared in a TASS agency interview a few days after the elections, "Russia is at war with Ukraine."
Peskov further explained that the "special military operation" escalated into a war when the "collective West" started supporting Ukraine, marking a significant shift from the Russian government's prior terminology for the conflict in Ukraine.
He also remarked that parts of Russian territory are "de facto occupied" by Ukraine, referring to Ukrainian regions that Russia unlawfully annexed in 2022. - He emphasized the importance of protecting the inhabitants of these new federal entities and reclaiming the territories currently under the control of the Kyiv government - thus portraying the viewpoint of Vladimir Putin, who is often described as a dictator. This statement pertains to the Ukrainian territories illegally annexed by Russia in 2022.
In a warning to the West, Vladimir Putin underscored on Monday that a direct armed confrontation between Russia and NATO could dangerously bring humanity to the brink of World War III, asserting that such an outcome is undesirable to almost everyone.
