Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia pressed at the United Nations on Tuesday its unfounded claim that Ukraine plans to use a “dirty bomb” on its own soil, while Western diplomats denounced the allegations as misinformation and accused Moscow of wasting their time.
- Russia will begin annual exercises Wednesday involving large-scale drills of its strategic nuclear forces. Moscow notified the United States of the routine drills, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Tuesday. “In this regard, Russia is complying with its arms control obligations,” he said.
- Ukrainian citizens residing abroad should not return home for the winter, one of the country’s deputy prime ministers said Tuesday, citing the need to save energy from power facilities recently crippled by Russian strikes.
- A Russian court on Tuesday rejected U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner’s appeal against her more than nine-year prison sentence for drug charges.
More live updates here.
- Russia pressed at the United Nations on Tuesday its unfounded claim that Ukraine plans to use a “dirty bomb” on its own soil, while Western diplomats denounced the allegations as misinformation and accused Moscow of wasting their time.
- Russia will begin annual exercises Wednesday involving large-scale drills of its strategic nuclear forces. Moscow notified the United States of the routine drills, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Tuesday. “In this regard, Russia is complying with its arms control obligations,” he said.
- Ukrainian citizens residing abroad should not return home for the winter, one of the country’s deputy prime ministers said Tuesday, citing the need to save energy from power facilities recently crippled by Russian strikes.
- A Russian court on Tuesday rejected U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner’s appeal against her more than nine-year prison sentence for drug charges.
More live updates here.
European allies worry U.S. could dial back support for Ukraine
U.S. allies in Europe are growing increasingly concerned that the united front presented by the West in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could quickly unravel if Republicans are victorious in next week’s midterm elections, ceding an advantage to President Vladimir Putin just when Ukraine is making progress on the battlefield.
In the eight months since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a rare level of transatlantic consensus has taken hold over the need to support Ukraine. Collectively, Ukraine’s allies have pledged over $93 billion in military, financial and humanitarian assistance, with the lion’s share of that promised by Washington.
Since comments by the House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that a Republican-controlled House wouldn’t continue to issue “blank check” funding for Ukraine, officials in both Kyiv and Western Europe have begun to wonder if Ukraine can continue to count on the U.S.
Read the full story here.
U.S. allies in Europe are growing increasingly concerned that the united front presented by the West in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could quickly unravel if Republicans are victorious in next week’s midterm elections, ceding an advantage to President Vladimir Putin just when Ukraine is making progress on the battlefield.
In the eight months since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a rare level of transatlantic consensus has taken hold over the need to support Ukraine. Collectively, Ukraine’s allies have pledged over $93 billion in military, financial and humanitarian assistance, with the lion’s share of that promised by Washington.
Since comments by the House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that a Republican-controlled House wouldn’t continue to issue “blank check” funding for Ukraine, officials in both Kyiv and Western Europe have begun to wonder if Ukraine can continue to count on the U.S.
Read the full story here.
Liberal Democrats withdraw letter to Biden that urged him to rethink Ukraine strategy
The Congressional Progressive Caucus has rescinded a letter, signed by 30 House liberals and sent to the White House on Monday, that urged President Biden to negotiate directly with Russia to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
The withdrawal comes a day after the letter, led by Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), triggered fierce pushback from many Democrats. The retraction was also a stunning misstep for a prominent House liberal who has expressed interest in seeking a leadership position in the party.
In the wake of the letter’s release, Democrats and Ukrainian officials argued that it was unrealistic to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Read the full story here.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus has rescinded a letter, signed by 30 House liberals and sent to the White House on Monday, that urged President Biden to negotiate directly with Russia to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
The withdrawal comes a day after the letter, led by Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), triggered fierce pushback from many Democrats. The retraction was also a stunning misstep for a prominent House liberal who has expressed interest in seeking a leadership position in the party.
In the wake of the letter’s release, Democrats and Ukrainian officials argued that it was unrealistic to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Read the full story here.
Russian claims of Ukrainian ‘dirty bomb’ are false, West says. What to know.
Ukraine’s Western allies have characterized as false Moscow’s unsupported allegation that Kyiv is planning to detonate a “dirty bomb” on its own soil and blame Russia for it, and the allies say it is an attempt to create a pretext to escalate the war. Ukraine also has rejected the accusation, called for more sanctions against Russia and made unbacked claims against Moscow.
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Russia’s allegation has prompted a diplomatic firestorm that could spill over into a meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
A dirty bomb combines conventional explosives with radioactive material to spread panic, although no successful attack with it has ever been recorded.
Read more about why the concept is getting attention now.
Ukraine’s Western allies have characterized as false Moscow’s unsupported allegation that Kyiv is planning to detonate a “dirty bomb” on its own soil and blame Russia for it, and the allies say it is an attempt to create a pretext to escalate the war. Ukraine also has rejected the accusation, called for more sanctions against Russia and made unbacked claims against Moscow.
Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russia’s allegation has prompted a diplomatic firestorm that could spill over into a meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
A dirty bomb combines conventional explosives with radioactive material to spread panic, although no successful attack with it has ever been recorded.
Read more about why the concept is getting attention now.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russia’s exercises Wednesday included training for a “massive nuclear strike... in retaliation for the enemy’s nuclear strike,” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, state media reported.
- Moscow notified the United States of its planned nuclear drills, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Tuesday.
- Jailed U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner could be sent to a Russian penal colony to serve her 9½-year prison sentence on drug charges.
- The body of a U.S. citizen who died fighting in Ukraine has been identified and released to Ukrainian custody, the State Department said in a statement Wednesday.
- Ukrainian citizens residing abroad should not return home for the winter, a Ukrainian official said Tuesday, citing the need to save energy from power facilities recently crippled by Russian strikes.
More live updates here.
- Russia’s exercises Wednesday included training for a “massive nuclear strike... in retaliation for the enemy’s nuclear strike,” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, state media reported.
- Moscow notified the United States of its planned nuclear drills, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Tuesday.
- Jailed U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner could be sent to a Russian penal colony to serve her 9½-year prison sentence on drug charges.
- The body of a U.S. citizen who died fighting in Ukraine has been identified and released to Ukrainian custody, the State Department said in a statement Wednesday.
- Ukrainian citizens residing abroad should not return home for the winter, a Ukrainian official said Tuesday, citing the need to save energy from power facilities recently crippled by Russian strikes.
More live updates here.
Here’s the latest from Ukraine.
- Russia conducted annual nuclear exercises Wednesday as President Putin continued to make the unfounded claim that Ukraine was preparing to use a “dirty bomb” containing radioactive material.
- Ukrainian efforts to push Russian forces out of the southern Kherson region are being challenged by rainy weather and the local terrain, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said earlier this week.
- Ford Motor Co. announced Wednesday that it had “finalized the exit of its previously suspended operations in Russia” by selling shares in a joint venture with Russian automaker Sollers.
- The Polish Senate passed a resolution Wednesday recognizing Russia’s government as a “terrorist regime.” In the resolution, lawmakers highlighted reports of Russian forces torturing, murdering, kidnapping and deporting Ukrainian civilians.
More live updates here.
- Russia conducted annual nuclear exercises Wednesday as President Putin continued to make the unfounded claim that Ukraine was preparing to use a “dirty bomb” containing radioactive material.
- Ukrainian efforts to push Russian forces out of the southern Kherson region are being challenged by rainy weather and the local terrain, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said earlier this week.
- Ford Motor Co. announced Wednesday that it had “finalized the exit of its previously suspended operations in Russia” by selling shares in a joint venture with Russian automaker Sollers.
- The Polish Senate passed a resolution Wednesday recognizing Russia’s government as a “terrorist regime.” In the resolution, lawmakers highlighted reports of Russian forces torturing, murdering, kidnapping and deporting Ukrainian civilians.
More live updates here.
U.N. uses before-and-after photos to track Ukraine’s cultural destruction
The United Nations is reinforcing efforts to track the devastation inflicted on Ukraine’s architecture, art and historical sites by using satellite imagery to verify reports of destruction, two of its agencies announced.
Using before-and-after satellite images taken by private companies, UNESCO and the U.N.’s Satellite Center plan to systematically document confirmed reports of damage to places of cultural significance, assist authorities in prosecuting those responsible and help Ukraine prioritize its reconstruction efforts.
A preliminary list compiled by UNESCO counts 207 sites that have been damaged or destroyed since the invasion began on Feb. 24. It covers 88 religious sites, 76 buildings of historical or artistic interest, 18 monuments, 15 museums, and 10 libraries.
Read the full story here.
The United Nations is reinforcing efforts to track the devastation inflicted on Ukraine’s architecture, art and historical sites by using satellite imagery to verify reports of destruction, two of its agencies announced.
Using before-and-after satellite images taken by private companies, UNESCO and the U.N.’s Satellite Center plan to systematically document confirmed reports of damage to places of cultural significance, assist authorities in prosecuting those responsible and help Ukraine prioritize its reconstruction efforts.
A preliminary list compiled by UNESCO counts 207 sites that have been damaged or destroyed since the invasion began on Feb. 24. It covers 88 religious sites, 76 buildings of historical or artistic interest, 18 monuments, 15 museums, and 10 libraries.
Read the full story here.
U.N. looks to ‘cool’ fears of dirty bomb with visit to Ukraine
The head of the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog said he hopes to “cool off” the nuclear saber rattling between Russia and the West by dispatching inspectors to the Ukrainian nuclear sites that Moscow claims are being used to divert radioactive materials for use in a “dirty bomb.”
The upcoming visit, overseen by International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, could help disprove Russia’s widely criticized claims of a Ukrainian nuclear plot. But by taking Moscow’s accusations at face value, it also risks elevating the sensational charges.
The visit will be the latest high-wire act of a bureaucrat who has conversed extensively with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while trying to maintain his agency’s status as a neutral watchdog of the world’s most dangerous materials.
Read the full story here.
The head of the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog said he hopes to “cool off” the nuclear saber rattling between Russia and the West by dispatching inspectors to the Ukrainian nuclear sites that Moscow claims are being used to divert radioactive materials for use in a “dirty bomb.”
The upcoming visit, overseen by International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, could help disprove Russia’s widely criticized claims of a Ukrainian nuclear plot. But by taking Moscow’s accusations at face value, it also risks elevating the sensational charges.
The visit will be the latest high-wire act of a bureaucrat who has conversed extensively with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while trying to maintain his agency’s status as a neutral watchdog of the world’s most dangerous materials.
Read the full story here.
Dnipro residents fear dark, cold winter as Russia smashes infrastructure
DNIPRO — A powerless 15-floor apartment building in this industrial city offered a preview of what many Ukrainians fear will soon become the norm here after relentless Russian airstrikes on civilian infrastructure: Candles flickered in windows. Couples cooked by flashlight. Outside in the darkened courtyard on Saturday evening, three men and a woman drank alcohol in a cone of cellphone light.
Some residents had caught wind of the planned outage on social media. Others had no clue until it happened just as dark fell.
With the elevator useless, Tetiana walked up five floors in the dark with her dachshund to a drab apartment with no candles or flashlights. Before walking the dog, she had spent the past two hours texting with relatives across the country, some of whom were also without power. “This is the first time this has happened,” said Tetiana, a middle-aged woman who declined to give her last name.
Read the full story here.
DNIPRO — A powerless 15-floor apartment building in this industrial city offered a preview of what many Ukrainians fear will soon become the norm here after relentless Russian airstrikes on civilian infrastructure: Candles flickered in windows. Couples cooked by flashlight. Outside in the darkened courtyard on Saturday evening, three men and a woman drank alcohol in a cone of cellphone light.
Some residents had caught wind of the planned outage on social media. Others had no clue until it happened just as dark fell.
With the elevator useless, Tetiana walked up five floors in the dark with her dachshund to a drab apartment with no candles or flashlights. Before walking the dog, she had spent the past two hours texting with relatives across the country, some of whom were also without power. “This is the first time this has happened,” said Tetiana, a middle-aged woman who declined to give her last name.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday delivered a speech cast as an “extensive report” on world politics, and an opportunity to set out his views as the war in Ukraine drags on.
- Russia would target “quasi-civilian infrastructure” in space if Moscow believes it served military purposes, said Konstantin Vorontsov, the Russian official at the United Nations, on Wednesday.
- Ukraine’s energy system was once again targeted by Russia overnight, the country’s main grid operator Ukrenergo said early Thursday.
- The suspected Russian spy arrested in Norway this week attended a seminar on hybrid threats recently that included a scenario about responding to a pipeline explosion, according to Norwegian media, a coordinator for the group that hosted the event, and a photograph from the event.
More live updates here.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday delivered a speech cast as an “extensive report” on world politics, and an opportunity to set out his views as the war in Ukraine drags on.
- Russia would target “quasi-civilian infrastructure” in space if Moscow believes it served military purposes, said Konstantin Vorontsov, the Russian official at the United Nations, on Wednesday.
- Ukraine’s energy system was once again targeted by Russia overnight, the country’s main grid operator Ukrenergo said early Thursday.
- The suspected Russian spy arrested in Norway this week attended a seminar on hybrid threats recently that included a scenario about responding to a pipeline explosion, according to Norwegian media, a coordinator for the group that hosted the event, and a photograph from the event.
More live updates here.
Here’s the latest from Ukraine.
- President Biden criticized Putin for nuclear brinkmanship Thursday, hours after the Russian leader downplayed the chance that the Kremlin would use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine. “If he has no intention, why does he keep talking about it?” Biden said.
- Putin said Thursday that the decision by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan in August was “delusional.” “The whole West is coming down on us, fighting Russia,” he said. “Well, why at the same time ruin relations with China?” He made dismissive use of the Russian word babushka, or grandmother, to describe her.
- Russia would target “quasi-civilian infrastructure” in space if Moscow believes it served military purposes, said Konstantin Vorontsov, a Russian official at the United Nations, on Wednesday.
- The International Energy Agency forecast that the Ukraine war would spur countries to pursue more sustainable energy policies, helping global emissions to peak in 2025.
More live updates here.
- President Biden criticized Putin for nuclear brinkmanship Thursday, hours after the Russian leader downplayed the chance that the Kremlin would use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine. “If he has no intention, why does he keep talking about it?” Biden said.
- Putin said Thursday that the decision by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan in August was “delusional.” “The whole West is coming down on us, fighting Russia,” he said. “Well, why at the same time ruin relations with China?” He made dismissive use of the Russian word babushka, or grandmother, to describe her.
- Russia would target “quasi-civilian infrastructure” in space if Moscow believes it served military purposes, said Konstantin Vorontsov, a Russian official at the United Nations, on Wednesday.
- The International Energy Agency forecast that the Ukraine war would spur countries to pursue more sustainable energy policies, helping global emissions to peak in 2025.
More live updates here.
Putin demands U.S. respect ‘multipolar’ world and tell Ukraine to seek peace
Russian President Vladimir Putin recited familiar grievances and criticisms of the hegemonic “Western elite” while offering an ideological pitch to Asian leaders and to conservative groups in the United States and Europe during a keynote foreign policy speech on Thursday.
Putin also blamed the West for the war in Ukraine that he started with a full-scale invasion in February and he insisted that Washington could end the conflict by directing the Ukrainian government to seek peace.
In the speech, delivered to the annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow, Putin portrayed Russia as a champion of rising nations in a new multipolar world, which he demanded that the United States and other Western powers begin to respect as equals. And seeking common ground with the right-wing in the West, he described Russia as a defender of traditional Christian values as society has lost its way.
Read the full story here.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recited familiar grievances and criticisms of the hegemonic “Western elite” while offering an ideological pitch to Asian leaders and to conservative groups in the United States and Europe during a keynote foreign policy speech on Thursday.
Putin also blamed the West for the war in Ukraine that he started with a full-scale invasion in February and he insisted that Washington could end the conflict by directing the Ukrainian government to seek peace.
In the speech, delivered to the annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow, Putin portrayed Russia as a champion of rising nations in a new multipolar world, which he demanded that the United States and other Western powers begin to respect as equals. And seeking common ground with the right-wing in the West, he described Russia as a defender of traditional Christian values as society has lost its way.
Read the full story here.
Ksenia Sobchak, Russian star linked to Putin, fled using Israeli passport
Ksenia Sobchak, a Russian socialite and television anchor with a close family connection to President Vladimir Putin, used her dual Israeli citizenship to flee Russia on Tuesday after a police raid of her home that Russian authorities said was tied to a criminal investigation of two of her business associates.
Sobchak, 40, who earned fame as a reality TV star and has been known over the years as a Russian “It Girl”, is the daughter of St. Petersburg’s first post-Soviet mayor, Anatoly Sobchak.
Sobchak runs the “Ostorozhno Novosti” project, which includes a network of Telegram news channels, a podcast studio, a YouTube channel and Sobchak’s own social media page. She has long straddled a fence between Russia’s political elite and its liberal political opposition, creating some distrust of her from both camps. In 2018, she ran for president against Putin, winning about 2 percent of votes.
Read the full story here.
Ksenia Sobchak, a Russian socialite and television anchor with a close family connection to President Vladimir Putin, used her dual Israeli citizenship to flee Russia on Tuesday after a police raid of her home that Russian authorities said was tied to a criminal investigation of two of her business associates.
Sobchak, 40, who earned fame as a reality TV star and has been known over the years as a Russian “It Girl”, is the daughter of St. Petersburg’s first post-Soviet mayor, Anatoly Sobchak.
Sobchak runs the “Ostorozhno Novosti” project, which includes a network of Telegram news channels, a podcast studio, a YouTube channel and Sobchak’s own social media page. She has long straddled a fence between Russia’s political elite and its liberal political opposition, creating some distrust of her from both camps. In 2018, she ran for president against Putin, winning about 2 percent of votes.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Pentagon announced Friday an additional $275 million in defense aid for Ukraine, a sum smaller than that offered in many previous packages.
- Air travel is back up in Russia, but due to sanctions, European planemaker Airbus has raised questions about the safety of its planes there.
- A change of Russian strategy in Ukraine to defensive tactics is “likely due to a more realistic assessment that the severely undermanned, poorly trained force in Ukraine is currently only capable of defensive operations,” the British ministry said in its daily intelligence update Friday.
- Ukrainian forces have shot down more than 300 Iranian-made drones in the conflict so far, air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told a briefing Friday.
- Russia’s security services are working to undermine Moldova’s pro-Western government, according to sensitive materials obtained by Ukrainian intelligence and reviewed by The Washington Post.
More live updates here.
- The Pentagon announced Friday an additional $275 million in defense aid for Ukraine, a sum smaller than that offered in many previous packages.
- Air travel is back up in Russia, but due to sanctions, European planemaker Airbus has raised questions about the safety of its planes there.
- A change of Russian strategy in Ukraine to defensive tactics is “likely due to a more realistic assessment that the severely undermanned, poorly trained force in Ukraine is currently only capable of defensive operations,” the British ministry said in its daily intelligence update Friday.
- Ukrainian forces have shot down more than 300 Iranian-made drones in the conflict so far, air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told a briefing Friday.
- Russia’s security services are working to undermine Moldova’s pro-Western government, according to sensitive materials obtained by Ukrainian intelligence and reviewed by The Washington Post.
More live updates here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cast doubt on Russia’s claims to have completed its call-up of 300,000 military reservists, and said the Kremlin’s forces are “poorly prepared and equipped” and would be “ruthlessly used” by commanders.
—Zelensky said about 4 million people are under energy-use restrictions as Ukraine attempts to stretch scarce resources after Russian forces destroyed infrastructure around the country.
—A group of House and Senate Republicans opposed Democratic Party-backed plans to fund Ukraine’s war effort with assets seized from Russia, The Washington Post reported.
Read more updates here.
—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cast doubt on Russia’s claims to have completed its call-up of 300,000 military reservists, and said the Kremlin’s forces are “poorly prepared and equipped” and would be “ruthlessly used” by commanders.
—Zelensky said about 4 million people are under energy-use restrictions as Ukraine attempts to stretch scarce resources after Russian forces destroyed infrastructure around the country.
—A group of House and Senate Republicans opposed Democratic Party-backed plans to fund Ukraine’s war effort with assets seized from Russia, The Washington Post reported.
Read more updates here.
Exclusive: Russia’s security service works to subvert Moldova’s pro-Western government
When thousands of protesters gathered last month outside Moldova’s presidential palace calling for the country’s pro-Western leader to step down, the man behind the demonstration — an opposition party leader in exile in Israel — soon received praise from Moscow.
A senior Russian politician praised the protest organizer, Ilan Shor, as “a worthy long-term partner” and even offered the Moldovan region led by his party a cheap Russian gas deal. Referred to as “the young one” by Russia’s Federal Security Service, Shor is a leading figure in the Kremlin’s efforts to subvert this former Soviet republic, intelligence documents and interviews with Moldovan, Ukrainian and Western officials show.
The documents — part of a trove of sensitive materials obtained by Ukrainian intelligence and reviewed by The Post — illustrate how Moscow continues to try to manipulate countries in Eastern Europe.
Read the full story here.
When thousands of protesters gathered last month outside Moldova’s presidential palace calling for the country’s pro-Western leader to step down, the man behind the demonstration — an opposition party leader in exile in Israel — soon received praise from Moscow.
A senior Russian politician praised the protest organizer, Ilan Shor, as “a worthy long-term partner” and even offered the Moldovan region led by his party a cheap Russian gas deal. Referred to as “the young one” by Russia’s Federal Security Service, Shor is a leading figure in the Kremlin’s efforts to subvert this former Soviet republic, intelligence documents and interviews with Moldovan, Ukrainian and Western officials show.
The documents — part of a trove of sensitive materials obtained by Ukrainian intelligence and reviewed by The Post — illustrate how Moscow continues to try to manipulate countries in Eastern Europe.
Read the full story here.
Russian defense minister says mobilization complete with 300,000 summoned
Russia’s controversial mobilization to send reinforcements to fight in Ukraine is now complete, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting Friday, with 300,000 summoned for duty — the precise number Putin had requested.
“We have stopped sending notices to people, and the task you set, 300,000 people, has been completed,” Shoigu told Putin in the meeting, which was clearly scripted. “No further measures are planned.”
According to Shoigu, 82,000 soldiers have been sent to the conflict zone in Ukraine, with half of those assigned to active-duty units, and others continuing to do combat training. “Over 1,300 government representatives, 27,000 entrepreneurs, and 13,000 volunteers were called up and joined the ranks; the average age of those mobilized is 35 years,” Shoigu added.
Read the full story here.
Russia’s controversial mobilization to send reinforcements to fight in Ukraine is now complete, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting Friday, with 300,000 summoned for duty — the precise number Putin had requested.
“We have stopped sending notices to people, and the task you set, 300,000 people, has been completed,” Shoigu told Putin in the meeting, which was clearly scripted. “No further measures are planned.”
According to Shoigu, 82,000 soldiers have been sent to the conflict zone in Ukraine, with half of those assigned to active-duty units, and others continuing to do combat training. “Over 1,300 government representatives, 27,000 entrepreneurs, and 13,000 volunteers were called up and joined the ranks; the average age of those mobilized is 35 years,” Shoigu added.
Read the full story here.