Russian troop mobilization almost complete, Putin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the partial mobilization of reserves will probably be complete in about two weeks. He added that about 33,000 new conscripts have been sorted into various military units, and 16,000 are already involved in the Ukraine conflict. The mobilization has roused intense public opposition in a country where almost all men under the age of 65 are registered as reservists. Russian media have also reported that the number of men being mobilized could be as high as 1.2 million, even though Russian officials earlier said it would only be about 300,000.

What’s happening in Ukraine? Ukraine has received pledges of air support systems from the United States and some European countries after Russian missile and kamikaze drone attacks have struck targets all across the country. Russia has said the missiles are directed at military and infrastructure targets, but Ukraine has said the missiles have actually struck civilian targets. Germany has said that it has already provided air defense systems to Ukraine. The United Kingdom has said it will supply the missiles for an air defense system provided by the United States.

Dig deeper: Read Evgeny Kosykh’s report in WORLD Tour about Russians defying conscription orders.