Russia Calling Up As Many as 300,000 Reservists in Battle with Ukraine

Video Above: Russia Decimating Public Institutions in Ukraine

Kris Osborn – President, Center for Military Modernization

Russia’s announcement that it is calling up as many as 300,000 reservists to support ongoing military operations does not appear to be causing grave concern or surprise among military leaders at the Pentagon and may not be greatly impacting Ukrainian forces either.

While the numbers may sound alarming, the prospect of a larger scale Russian mobilization raises as many questions as it does offer solutions, in large measure because it is not clear if these incoming soldiers are trained, equipped, ready to fight and in any more of a position to willingly fight Ukrainians.

“My understanding is these would primarily be reservists or members of the — the Russian military that had retired and were in an individual ready-reserve type of status. All of that to say, it’s our assessment that it would take time for Russia to train and prepare and equip these forces,” Pentagon spokesman Big. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters, according to a transcript.

The other observable and quite significant point is simply that adding more people or soldiers does not address or in anyway mitigate the many morale, sustainment, logistical and tactical problems the Russian forces continue to experience.

“I think it’s important also to point out here that while in many ways this may address a manpower issue for Russia, what’s not clear is whether or not it could significantly address the command and control, the logistics, the sustainment, and importantly, the morale issues that we’ve seen Russian forces in Ukraine experience,” Ryder said.