Many believed that Russian President Vladimir Putin would announce a new project before spring. There would be even greater conscription than last fall when 300,000 men were drafted into the army. But that didn’t happen and many people are wondering what caused it.
Flemming Splidsboel, an expert at the Dansk Institute for Internationale Studier, thinks he knows the explanation why Putin has not yet announced military conscription.
In an interview with the Jutland Post, he said it’s no secret that the Russians are doing poorly in the war in Ukraine, and for this reason many expected Putin to be forced to resort to a new military call.
He said he believed there was a specific reason why Putin had not resorted to military conscription again. “Forcing Russia into war is incredibly unpopular. We saw the effect of military conscription in September on Russia, and I think that made Putin nervous,” he said.
He refers to the conscription in September, which caused great anger in Russia. Among other things, conscription offices were set on fire and people demonstrated in the streets. Additionally, an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Russians fled the country as a result of conscription.
“Putin is afraid of how he will be received if he resorts to another military call. Because it also signals to the public eye that something is wrong. The first conscription showed that something was wrong. A Another conscription sheds even more light on him. So it could be a political issue. That doesn’t mean he can’t do it and get away with it. But I’m sure it’s something he expects until he feels it’s absolutely necessary,” he said.
