More than 200,000 Russian draftees are going through extensive training to take part in the military offensive against Ukraine, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu revealed on Tuesday, adding that some 87,000 mobilized service members have already been deployed to the combat zone.
He also reiterated that Russia had fully met the target of calling up 300,000 troops that had been set out in the presidential decree.
Addressing top military commanders during a teleconference, Shoigu said that tens of thousands of troops “have been sent to combat operations zone after receiving additional training and [boosting] unit cohesion.” All of these service members have been called up to arms as part of the partial mobilization announced by Russia in late September.
He also noted that some draftees are wrapping up joint coordination drills at training grounds. “The main efforts are focused on field training, acquiring signals, navigation and reconnaissance skills,” the minister said, adding that more than 3,000 instructors with relevant combat experience are involved in the work.
On Tuesday, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the mobilization decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin had been implemented in full. “It was about a certain number of mobilized reservists and it stipulated a figure of up to 300,000 reservists. Therefore, the decree has been executed,” he said.
He also explained that this fact will not be codified in a special document. "The President said that he would consult with lawyers and legal experts. We inform you that the decree is not needed,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of reservists in Russia on September 21. The Defense Ministry said at the time that it planned to boost the strength of the standing army by calling up reservists amid the military campaign in Ukraine, which Moscow launched in late February.
According to the Defense Ministry, these troops were needed to defend the nearly 1,000-kilometer-long line of contact between Russian and Ukrainian forces. Also, officials in Moscow have repeatedly stated that the military assistance provided by NATO and the US to Kiev makes them a party in the conflict.