Russian Defense Minister: 300,000 reservists will be called to serve

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Following the announcement of partial mobilization by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday morning, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that 300,000 reservists will be called to serve in the Ukrainian war.

According to the Defense Minister, the mobilization will serve to "control" and "reinforce territories" at the contact line between Russian and Ukrainian forces, which is more than 1,000 km long.

Shoigu specified that the called-upon reservists will be limited to citizens that have previously served in the military, “Those are not people who have never heard anything about the army. Those are those who, firstly, had completed their military service, secondly, those who have a military specialty… and have military experience,” stressing that no university students nor conscripts will be included in the mobilization.

The Defense Minister said that this partial mobilization constitutes "1% or a bit more" of the total number of individuals that Moscow is capable of mobilizing, stating that Russia has an "immense mobilization resource" of around 25 million people that hold some military experience.

In a live address to the nation, Putin announced on Wednesday a partial mobilization in Russia as the war in Ukraine has now lasted for almost seven months. The decision came one day after Russian-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine declared preparations to hold elections on joining Russia.

The referendums, which have been anticipated since the beginning of the war, will begin on Friday in the areas of Lugansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk, which are partially under Russian control.

Putin said he has signed a decree on the partial mobilization, which is due to start on Wednesday.