Moscow Ends Partial Mobilization After Hitting Putin's Draft Quota

Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Monday ended the partial mobilization of new recruits in his city after hitting President Vladimir Putin's drafting quota.

In a statement published on his official website, Sobyanin announced that they were closing draft offices by 2 p.m. He also noted that all summons they previously distributed across Moscow would now be rendered invalid.

"According to the military commissar of Moscow, the tasks for partial mobilization, established on the basis of the Decree of the President and the assignment of the Ministry of Defense, have been completed in full," Sobyanin wrote. "Collection points for mobilized people close on October 17, 2022, at 14:00. Summons sent in the process of mobilization to the place of residence and enterprises cease to be valid."

Sobyanin's announcement comes after Putin last week said that the so-called partial mobilization of reservists to bolster the Russian army currently in Ukraine will end in about two weeks.

"This work is already coming to an end," Putin said at a press conference in Astana, where he traveled to participate in a conference, as quoted by The New York Times. "There are now 222,000 people mobilized in the troop formations, out of 300,000. I think that within about two weeks all mobilization activities will be completed."

The Russian leader noted that 16,000 conscripts who were drafted under his partial mobilization order had been sent to the frontlines in Ukraine. He later added that the Kremlin has not yet planned any additional waves of mobilization.

Putin's mobilization order received widespread opposition within Russia when he first announced it on Sept. 21. Many conscripts who received draft papers were men who were supposed to be exempted from serving — because they were too old, had incapacitating health conditions, or little to no combat experience.

Many also complained about a lack of food, proper training, uniforms and equipment for the new conscripts. Independent news website Meduza, citing Russian Presidential Human Rights Council Kirill Kabanov, reported that some conscripts didn't receive the financial benefits they were promised for drafting. In addition, soldiers who volunteered were yet to be granted the debt payment holidays they were guaranteed prior to their deployment.