Russia admits to draft problems as anger flares into violence | World News,The Indian Express
Ukraine’s president has urged citizens to resist the Russians in occupied territories, where voting is underway in what Western officials have called “sham” referendums on joining Russia.
The Kremlin acknowledged on Monday that its new military draft to reinforce the Russian assault on Ukraine has been rife with problems. The admission occurred the same day that a man, apparently distraught over the mobilization, shot and seriously wounded a recruitment officer at a draft office in Siberia.
Since President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” last week to call up 300,000 people with military experience to joint the fight, there have been widespread reports of conscription in rural regions that has swept up ethnic minorities and, it appears, people unfit for duty.
Protests have erupted in far-flung cities, recruitment centers have been the target of arson, and thousands of military-age men have packed planes and vehicles to flee across Russia’s borders.
The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, acknowledged Monday that there had been irregularities in the call-up, but he tried to shift blame to the local authorities carrying out the mobilization among resistant civilians across the country.
“There are cases when the decree has been violated,” Peskov told reporters.
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