Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted on Tuesday that hundreds of thousands of volunteers are rushing to join the Russian military and fight in Ukraine.
He portrayed the partial mobilization order he signed in September 2022 as one of the most successful recruiting drives in history, bringing a quarter of a million fresh troops into the Russian war machine.
“As you know, we carried out a partial mobilization, we drafted 300,000 people. Now, in the past 6 to 7 months, 270,000 people voluntarily signed contracts for service in the armed forces and volunteer units,” Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, where he may meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un shortly. Kim’s armored train reportedly entered Russia on Tuesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his meeting with officers of the Russian army and secret services on June 27, 2023, in Moscow, Russia. (Contributor/Getty Images)
“1,000 to 1,500 people come to sign a contract…