Doug Klain: Mobilization Can’t Save Russia’s War

2022-10-04 | Expert publications

Doug Klain for Foreign Policy. Six months after Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged that his “special military operation” to eradicate the Ukrainian nation wouldn’t require a general mobilization of Russia’s men, the flagging leader has doubled back on his word, sparking outrage across Russia. Declaring that 300,000 “reservists”—nominally those with previous military service—would be mobilized, the deadly combination of unrest at home and an ever more limited military apparatus facing down an increasingly better-armed Ukrainian army means that even if Moscow can meet its recruitment goals, Putin’s mobilization is doomed to fail.

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