Analyst: Putin’s Decision to Call Up More Troops a Failure of Russian Politics

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Aleksandar Rodic, a military analyst, said on Sept. 21 that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to declare a partial mobilization to boost his war efforts in Ukraine was “the defeat of Moscow’s official policy.”

Radic said for BETA that the draft was an option that had been clearly postponed for political reasons and consequences it might have at home. “It is absolutely clear that this is the defeat of a strategy to use a limited combat force composed only of professional soldiers, to address serious war objectives,” the expert explained.

According to Rodic, it was evident that “it’s not going to be easy,” and Russia decided to draft volunteers. The analyst explained that the call was based on financial contracts, and that “it’s impossible to win the war and settle the situation on the ground that way.”