russia wants to mobilize 400,000 under color of “volunteers” – UK intelligence

russia's authorities are preparing to launch a major campaign to recruit an additional 400,000 service members as putin prepares for a long war. 

Rubryka reports, referring to the UK Ministry of Defense on Twitter, that russia still needs military equipment, which it does not have.

According to russian mass media, russia presents the campaign as a recruitment of volunteers and professional personnel and not as a mandatory mobilization.

As the report notes, there is a real possibility that, in practice, this distinction will be blurred and that the regional authorities will try to fulfill their recruitment tasks by forcing men to join the ranks.

According to British intelligence, the russian authorities chose a supposedly voluntary model to fill staff shortages and minimize internal dissent.

"It is highly unlikely that the campaign will attract 400,000 genuine volunteers. However, rebuilding Russia's combat power in Ukraine will require more than just personnel; Russia needs more munitions and military equipment supplies than it currently has available," the British Ministry of Defense said.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported a net increase in the number of russia's armed forces last year by approximately 400,000 people. According to the agency, the kremlin plans to recruit another 400,000 people this year as putin prepares for a long war.