The head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, is unlikely to announce a new wave of mobilization in Russia before the presidential elections. At the same time, all the conditions for it have already been created.
This was stated in an interview with RBK-Ukraine by the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Vadim Skibitsky.
According to him, all the conditions for conducting mobilization measures in Russia have been established, including at the legislative level - there is accounting for military conscripts, plans for the formation and restoration, for example, of the Leningrad and Moscow military districts. All of this will affect the mobilization needs of their armed forces.
"Moreover, we now see that the mobilization is mostly aimed at replenishing the losses that the Russian Federation is suffering on our territory. To create a powerful strategic reserve, they really need mobilization – that's for sure. Whether Putin will dare to do this? Unlikely before the elections. And beyond that, we'll see. It's still too early to talk about it now. But all the conditions for conducting mobilization at any time in Russia have been created," he said.
Skibitsky noted that approximately 1,000-1,100 individuals join the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces every day, which amounts to around 30,000 per month.
"This contributes to replenishing losses and forming reserve regiments. However, this cannot be called covert mobilization. Let's put it this way: they are undergoing mobilization. It's just not being carried out as massively as it was in October-December 2022," stated the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate.
However, according to Skibitsky, Russians are motivated to join the army for practical reasons - it's the salary, especially in crisis regions where either salaries are low, or there are no jobs at all.
"Russian conscripts openly admit that they joined the army because they get paid, and they have a 'mortgage, family, and so on.' And this motivation is currently the main one for those who voluntarily go for mobilization, sign contracts, and participate in combat," he says.
At the same time, the salary varies - as the intelligence officer explained, it all depends on the unit's location and whether it is engaged in combat.
"But for Russians, it is clearly defined that a day of combat operations means an additional 8,000 rubles to the salary. Speaking in absolute figures, it's approximately 220-250 thousand rubles per month. This is for those who are directly involved in combat on the front line," he noted.
