Will partial mobilization in Russia bring about a turnaround in the Ukraine war? According to reports, this is doubtful. After all, the newly recruited Russian fighters are insufficiently trained. Apparently it’s all about one thing: filling the gaps quickly.
According to British intelligence services, many Russian fighters recruited as a result of the recent partial mobilization are going to the war in Ukraine without sound training or experience. According to a short report by the British Ministry of Defense, Moscow now faces the enormous challenge of training the troops.
In the Russian army, in contrast to many western armies, it is customary to undergo initial training within operational units rather than in special training institutions. A certain number of instructors are normally assigned within each brigade to train new recruits. However, many of these so-called third battalions are currently deployed to Ukraine.
According to the British Ministry of Defense, the lack of trainers and the hasty nature of the partial mobilization indicate that many soldiers are being sent to the front without adequate preparation. This makes high losses likely.
The Kyiv Independent had previously reported that Russia was sending recruits to the front without training. The recruits would not undergo any further military training after their draft, the portal wrote, citing the Ukrainian General Staff. This was intended to quickly replenish units that would have suffered heavy casualties.
However, the Institute for the Study of War doubts that this will have a rapid effect on the battlefield. The “partial mobilization” ordered on September 21 will “release additional forces for Russia, but inefficiently and with high social and political costs domestically”. Since at least 2008, the Russian armed forces have not created the conditions for large-scale mobilization and have not built up the kind of reserve forces needed for immediate mobilization, the analysts said.
Hundreds of dead apparently in two other mass graves
Meanwhile, more atrocities are coming to light in Ukraine. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, two more mass graves were found in the recaptured city of Izyum in eastern Ukraine. It’s about “big graves with hundreds of people,” says Zelenskyj in an interview with CBS.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russian troops fired at military targets in the Odessa region with two drones. A major fire broke out and ammunition exploded, the southern command of the Ukrainian armed forces reported to Telegram. So far there is no information about victims, the civilian population has been brought to safety.
