Officials Of Russia Report To Kremlin About "Self-Mobilization Of Volunteers" For War In Ukraine - ISW

Analysts of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) report on the unification of officials from Russian regional administrations around the call for "self-mobilization". This is stated in the text of the daily report posted on the official ISW portal.

According to the institute's findings, Russian administrative officials are unifying around Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's call for "self-mobilization" at the local level to provide additional forces to the Russian military.

On September 16, Vladivostok City Hall confirmed that the city administration is sending letters to men aged 25 to 63 who have experience of military service and reserve service, as well as those who are on military registration at the local military commissariat in Vladivostok, with an invitation to join BARS (Combat Army Reserve of the Country) or the so-called "Tiger" volunteer units (marines).

The City Hall emphasized that "each receiver makes his own decision." Russian recruiters likely aim to confuse receivers into thinking they have been formally and legally recruited; in fact, the letters are just an invitation to discuss volunteering.

Vladivostok's statement indicates that Russian municipal authorities may be under pressure from the federal government to create a certain number of "volunteer battalions."

Other local leaders announced new battalions in support of Kadyrov's call. The governor of Kirov Oblast Oleksandr Sokolov announced that Kirov had formed its second volunteer battalion called "Shyronin" and stated that the regional volunteer battalion "Vyatka" is already fighting in Ukraine.

On September 16, Serhii Aksyonov, the head of occupied Crimea appointed by Russia, announced that Crimea is intensifying work on the recruitment of volunteers. He noted that unknown large banking institutions contributed to the financing of volunteer battalions with the necessary modern equipment.

Magadan Oblast Governor Sergey Nosov announced financial support for Kadyrov's call and urged all regions to self-mobilize, even small regions like his own Magadan, which has only one military outpost.

The heads of the Voronezh, Chuvash, and Bashkir Oblasts also declared their support for self-mobilization and that about 1,000 volunteers from each of their regions are already involved (in the war in Ukraine - ed.).

Kemerovo Governor Sergey Tsyviliov promised financial support for volunteer battalions and stated that many residents of Kemerovo are already fighting in the Russian army.

Kadyrov himself announced on September 16 that his Chechen battalions "Akhmat", "Vostok" and "Zapad" were transferred to the regions of Donbas.

Kadyrov also announced that he had created another "Akhmat-1" unit of 2,000 people, armed to the teeth, and claimed that this was not the last unit that he and the Chechen Republic had formed.

He claimed that his new unit would fire on Ukrainian and Western personnel (whom Kadyrov routinely groundless claims to be fighting directly with the Ukrainian military) in Ukraine, but did not specify whether the unit had already been deployed.