Phone calls are “fake”
Kremlin: Don’t send reservists to Ukraine
03/26/2022, 3:20 p.m
According to official information from Moscow, only professional Russian soldiers are fighting in Ukraine. Now the Kremlin is emphasizing again that it does not want to send any reservists to the neighboring country. Telephone calls announcing a call-up were fake.
The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed that it does not want to use reservists in the Ukraine conflict. “The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation does not call up reservists and has no plans to call up reservists into military stations,” a ministry spokesman said. Calls that Russian men have allegedly received from the Russian army in the past few days are “fake”.
In the past few days, Russian men have received phone calls in which a “recorded voice” told them they were being called up by the military. These calls were all fake and “made from Ukrainian territory,” the ministry spokesman said. It is a “provocation” by Ukraine.
Shortly after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24, fears of general mobilization spread in Russia. Many Russians therefore fled abroad, including a large number of well-educated men from the IT industry, for example.
Given the brain drain, the Russian authorities are planning special incentives for IT professionals to motivate them to stay in Russia. According to the Ministry for Digital Development, an exemption is also being prepared that will allow computer scientists to be exempted from compulsory military service.
President Vladimir Putin ruled out the use of conscripts and reservists in Ukraine at the beginning of March. Only professional soldiers are deployed, he said. There will be no additional call for reservists. “The tasks will only be solved by professional soldiers. They will ensure security and peace for the people of Russia.”