Admittedly There Was An Error In Military Mobilization, President Putin: Must Improve And Prevent Not Repeat

Illustration of Russian military training. (Wikimedia Commons/RSOOG)

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that all the mistakes made in mobilization to strengthen Russian military operations in Ukraine must be corrected, his first public confession that the partial mobilization he announced last week did not go smoothly.

There is an widespread public dissatisfaction expression from officials and residents over the way mobilization is handled, including complaints about registration officers sending summons to people who clearly do not meet the requirements.

That resulted in thousands of men having fled from Russia, to avoid military service deemed to be registration of those with the required military experience and specialization. However, it often appears to ignore individual service records, health, student status, or even age.

About 2.000 people have also been arrested in unapproved anti-war protests in more than 30 major and small cities, with some of them immediately given a summons, something the Kremlin says is completely legal.

"In this mobilization, many questions arise, and all mistakes must be corrected and prevented so that they do not occur in the future," President Putin stressed.

"For example, I think of fathers of many children, or people suffering from chronic diseases, or those who have passed the mandatory military age," said President Putin.

President Putin has specifically refrained from blaming this - either to the Ministry of Defense led by his close ally Sergei Shoigu, or to regional officials entrusted with deciding exactly who to refer to.

Russia's announcement on September 21 about public mobilization, the first since World War Two, drew criticism from official Kremlin supporters themselves, something Russia has barely heard since sending its troops to Ukraine seven months ago.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that several calls had been issued due to errors, saying errors were being corrected by regional governors and the defense ministry.

Minister Shoigu said last week Moscow plans to recruit just 300,000 personnel. The Kremlin also denied reports by the independent Novaya Gazeta Europe regarding an undisclosed clause in President Putin's mobilization decree, arranging the summons of one million reserve soldiers.