Vladimir Putin has ordered the conscription of another 133,000 soldiers to aid his war in Ukraine.
The 18-to-30 year olds will be called up between tomorrow and December 31, but parents have raised fear that the untrained conscripts will be thrust straight into ‘hot’ border regions close to the war zone.
The figure is higher than the same draft last year when Putin recruited 130,000, and in spring when he drafted another 150,000.
The Russian regime is facing an increasing backlash over use of conscripts close to the war zone in defiance of an earlier Putin promise to parents that he would not put recruits in harm’s way.
One grieving Russian mother has risked arrest by demanding from Putin why her untrained conscript son, 18, was killed in the war, as she accused the autocrat of lying.
Elena Shumilova, mother of Valentin Shumilov, wrote to Putin saying she no longer ‘respected’ him: ‘Explain to me, the mother of a conscript, how did my son die? You shout loudly that conscripts do not fight, but their mothers keep burying them.’
Elsewhere, a country bordering Russia announced they are considering installing a fence along part of their border with the country.
Norway said they’re considering installing it along part or all of the 123-mile border shared with Russia – similar to what Finland did in the first months after Russia’s invasion into Ukraine.
In an interview with the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said: ‘A border fence is very interesting, not only because it can act as a deterrent but also because it contains sensors and technology that allow you to detect if people are moving close to the border.’
Late last year, Finland erected barriers at four crossings on its border with Russia in a bid to stem an increase in migrant crossings.
Officials in Helsinki said the the higher numbers of those seeking refuge has been deliberately orchestrated by Moscow.
Finland has directly accused Russian authorities of funnelling migrants to the crossings in retaliation for its decision to increase defence cooperation with the United States.
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