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Updated December 13th, 2022 at 07:54 IST

Russia begins military conscription of women to mobilize to war in Ukraine

"Twenty-eight women have already been drafted and sent for training by Kalyninsky district military commissariat of Donetsk," the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
Russia-Ukraine war
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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Russia on Monday, Dec 12 began military conscription of women to mobilise to the war in Ukraine to compensate for the massive military losses of the units of the 1st Army Corps, the Facebook page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine informed in an operational update on the Russian invasion. It added, that the Russians have intensified the offensive in the villages of Mizhvodne and Chernomorske in the 2014 annexed Crimean territory. 

Russian forces were involved in the crackdown on the administrative, police, and counterintelligence officers in the occupied region of Ukraine, the military further informed in the post. In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization, and as many as 300,000 men reservists were mobilized to fight in Ukraine. 

"Twenty-eight women have already been drafted and sent for training by Kalyninsky district military commissariat of Donetsk," the  Armed Forces of Ukraine said. 

"Russian occupiers continue to rob civilian infrastructure facilities in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region. So, on December 11 of this year, the equipment of local agricultural enterprises was removed from the settlement of Rubanivka," the General Staff of Ukraine furthermore notified in an intelligence update. 

'Many places [women] can be used': Russian Army

It was earlier speculated that as the war stretched on, Moscow could soon start conscripting women into its war. Russian army Gen. Vladimir Boldyrev had confirmed the possibility of women fighting the war as its troops lost large swaths of captured territories during the initial days after the Feb. 24 onslaught. The decision may have been made shortly after the Russian withdrawal from the Kharkiv region. “If women are called up, then there are many places where they can be used,” Boldyrev, who served as commander-in-chief of Russian ground forces from 2008 to 2010, had confirmed with URA.ru news outlet. 

“First of all, they [women]could be doctors. The second is the communication centers in the rear. Also rear units, for example, food, clothing, repair, laundries, and workshops. This is their main place in wartime,” Boldyrev said in an interview. 

The ex-Russian military chief also noted that women may be ready to participate in the conflict to serve the Russian motherland.  “First of all professionalism is needed. Specialists are called up for their ability to carry out their tasks. Women also must be healthy. Additionally, they require stamina, self-sacrifice, bravery, and loyalty to their cause and country,” he had stressed. Kremlin's State Duma member Alexey Chepa meanwhile emulated an example of Israel's military where both men and women serve on the frontline.

A State Duma deputy, Tatyana, meanwhile opted for a different tone on the decision, saying that “this is absolutely not about our [Russian] history." There is "always a male warrior and a woman who is waiting for him, guarding the hearth. Women have always taken a different defense," he told URA.ru. Furthermore, he added, that recruiting women should be a “last resort" for Russia. “On the whole, war — it’s not for women. And women would be drafted only as a last resort,” he insisted. 

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Published December 13th, 2022 at 07:54 IST

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