Putin says 50,000 Russian reservists now fighting in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that 50,000 Russian soldiers called up as part of his mobilisation drive were now fighting with combat units in Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported.

Putin said 80,000 were “in the zone of the special military operation” — the term Russia uses for its war in Ukraine — and the rest of the almost 320,000 draftees were at training camps in Russia.

“We now have 50,000 in their combat units. The rest are not taking part in the fighting yet,” Interfax quoted Putin as saying during a visit to the Tver region, outside Moscow.

In September, Putin announced a “partial mobilisation” drive to call up hundreds of thousands of new fighters for the war after Ukraine recaptured large swathes of territory in a counteroffensive. The move triggered an exodus of hundreds of thousands of Russians and triggered anti-war protests across the country.

Last week, Putin said a total of 318,000 had been called-up in the draft.

Russia ended the partial mobilisation drive at the end of October, with defence minister Sergei Shoigu saying on October 28 that about 41,000 Russian fighters had already joined their combat units fighting in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine accused Russia on Monday of looting empty homes in the southern city of Kherson and occupying them with troops in civilian clothes to prepare for street fighting in what both sides predict will be one of the war's most important battles.

In recent days Russia has ordered civilians out of Kherson in anticipation of a Ukrainian assault to recapture the city, the only regional capital Moscow has seized since its invasion in February.

Kherson, with a pre-war population of nearly 300,000, has been left cold and dark after power and water were cut to the surrounding area over the past 48 hours, both sides said.

Russian-installed officials blamed Ukrainian “sabotage” and said they were working to restore electricity. Ukrainian officials said the Russians had dismantled 1.5km of power lines, and electricity probably would not return until Ukrainian forces recapture the area.

Kyiv has described the evacuation of the area as a forced deportation, a war crime. Moscow says it is sending residents away for safety.

Kherson lies in the only pocket of Russian-held territory on the west bank of the Dnipro River that bisects Ukraine. Recapturing it has been the main focus of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south which has accelerated since the start of October.

The situation inside Kherson could not be independently confirmed. Ukrainian forces on the nearby front line have told Reuters in recent days they expect a bitter fight against Russian troops determined to exact a blood price before being forced out.

“While Kherson residents are being forcibly deported from their homes, talking about 'evacuation', ru-military and FSB officers are doing what they love most — robbing their houses,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted on Monday.

Ukraine’s military said in an overnight update that Russian forces, “disguised in civilian clothes, occupy the premises of civilians and strengthen positions inside for conducting street battles”.

Reuters was seeking comment from Russian authorities on the Ukrainian allegations. Moscow denies abusing civilians.

Reuters