Russia facilitates conscription
The Russian State Duma has unanimously passed amendments that will facilitate the recruitment of new soldiers. Under the new legislation, electronic summonses will be possible and men eligible for conscription will be registered in central data bases. What impact will this have in the country?
Robbing the country of its future
In a Facebook post, Boris Vishnevsky, an opposition politician based in St. Petersburg, sees an exodus in the offing:
“Now it will no longer be necessary for draftees to receive the call-up papers in person — it will be enough for the state to have sent them. ... Once again constitutional rights are being trampled on simply to supply the army with new recruits. The consequences are clear: a new wave of emigration of young, talented, dynamic individuals. The authors of this law know only too well what they are doing: deliberately robbing the country of its future.”
Golden opportunities for military officials
Commenting in Novaya Gazeta Europe, Sasha Belik, head of a conscientious objector organisation, sees the door opened to corruption in the military authorities:
“This law will make military officials rich. After all, all those liable for military service will now come to them with bribes because they don’t want to be banned from travelling abroad and have other rights restricted. ... The recruitment offices are not digitised. All the staff there are used to accepting bribes. The system is rotten to the core. ... Huge budgets are being allocated for the creation of the Ministry of Defence’s enlistment register. These will be embezzled as usual. That’s why I don’t believe that a register will be created in the foreseeable future.”
Russia doesn’t have infinite human resources
Svenska Dagbladet demands more support for Ukraine right now:
“The Russians have lost significant parts of their modern weapons arsenal which cannot be replaced in the short term. The Russian ‘human pool’ is not infinite, as it was in Soviet times. Moreover, there is growing reluctance to fight in the war. The Russians are struggling to find replacements for the 100,000 to 150,000 who have already died. ... The time factor is important. Ukraine needs more arms immediately. The West should ask Zelensky what he needs in order to end the war in 2023, and give it to him now. Otherwise, the war will drag on bringing far higher economic costs and more suffering and killing, as well as greater uncertainty about the outcome.”
