• Putin has fought against a nationwide mobilization in Russia for a while.
• Volunteer battalions are one method of increasing Russia’s military might.
• They also seem to be utilizing the promise of quick money.

Volunteer battalions are being organized all around Russia in preparation for deployment to the conflict in Ukraine, joining the ostensible “special military operation” announced by President Vladimir Putin in February.

The call has gone out, appealing to both the patriotism and the wallets of Russians, from Murmansk in the Arctic Circle to Perm in the Urals and Primorsky Krai in the Russian Far East.

Sometimes, military background is not necessary.

Analysts estimate that around 30,000 volunteers, or between one-quarter and one-third of the force used to retake the eastern Donbas region, where the majority of volunteers would presumably be dispatched, might be mobilized to supplement Russian ranks decimated by five months of combat.

The head of MI6, the UK’s covert intelligence agency, Richard Moore, told Jim Sciutto last week that “Russia will find it increasingly difficult to supply manpower, material over the next few weeks.”

Putin has fought against a nationwide mobilization in Russia for a while, and this spring’s call-up was no different from that in 2021.

These battalions are one method of increasing Russia’s military might without taking such severe measures.

They also seem to be utilizing the promise of quick money to target remote and disadvantaged areas.

It’s unclear what effect these battalions may have. The Donbas battle has seen a significant contribution from Chechen volunteer battalions, particularly in Mariupol.

However, they have a lot of military experience and are comparatively well-equipped. Clearly, the troops assembling elsewhere do not.

Researcher on Russia at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, Kateryna Stepanenko says: