In just two weeks, Ukraine has taken control of more Russian land than Russia has had throughout the whole year.
When Moscow’s reinforcements failed to halt a surprise Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk area during the second week of the offensive, the Kremlin was forced to decide whether to send additional battalions to protect Russia or to enlist new recruits for the conflict.
Thus far, Moscow has only sent contract soldiers to the brutal battlefields of Ukraine, keeping regular recruits in the armed forces on rotation at home. However, that precarious political equilibrium has been altered by the Kursk offensive.
The Kremlin was forced to choose between sending more battalions to defend Russia and recruiting new fighters for the battle during the second week of the attack when Moscow’s reinforcements failed to stop a surprise Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk territory.
Moscow has so far only dispatched contract soldiers to fight on the harsh terrain of Ukraine, rotating regular recruits in the armed forces at home. However, the Kursk offensive has upset that fragile political balance.
Four days after the Ukrainian invasion, on August 10, Russian mothers started to voice their displeasure that their sons were engaged in actual fighting.
“Oksana Deeva launched a petition calling for the return of conscripts from conflict zones. She is the mother of a conscript who ended up in the Kursk region. In just three days, about 3,000 people signed it, according to Okno, an independent Russian news outlet.
Akhmat, the commander of a volunteer unit for the Chechen special forces, retaliated against what he described as “sobs and outbursts” on Monday.
In a broadcast speech, Apty Alaudinov declared, “No one will die who is not destined to die, but if you die defending [Russia] and your faith in God, you will go
