Very good points! But I'm really struggling to understand what conceivable reason there might be for these truly bizarre decisions. The conscript army was already trained, equipped, had an officer and NCO structure and should have been ready to go at any time. The mobilized need (or should need) some basic training, need to be equipped, fed into structures with officers and NCOs, and moreover are drawn from existing civilian jobs so their removal entails some economic disruption.
I have come (reluctantly) to accept the argument from PCR and others that Putin and the Russian leadership do not really want to win this war and almost certainly don't want to go any further in the Ukraine, and what they want is a grand bargain with the West, and are probably just hoping this will come with economic crisis in Europe and Republican sweep in midterms or Trump victory in 2024. But even given this, the failure to use conscripts and to instead go for mobilizations seems totally bizarre. Some might say its just stupidity, but that doesn't wash. Putin is not stupid. Incompetence? Well maybe, but not of this magnitude surely. So what could be going on here?
If Putin continues to insist that conscripts are non-deployable, then conscripts no longer have a place in the Ground Army. Logically the now useless draft ought to be ended, and the freed-up resources used to give brigades more of the deployable mobiki.
Russia still needs troops to protect itself from other directions, not just Ukraine, so your conscripts point is moot and not well thought - they are still needed.
Very good points! But I'm really struggling to understand what conceivable reason there might be for these truly bizarre decisions. The conscript army was already trained, equipped, had an officer and NCO structure and should have been ready to go at any time. The mobilized need (or should need) some basic training, need to be equipped, fed into structures with officers and NCOs, and moreover are drawn from existing civilian jobs so their removal entails some economic disruption.
I have come (reluctantly) to accept the argument from PCR and others that Putin and the Russian leadership do not really want to win this war and almost certainly don't want to go any further in the Ukraine, and what they want is a grand bargain with the West, and are probably just hoping this will come with economic crisis in Europe and Republican sweep in midterms or Trump victory in 2024. But even given this, the failure to use conscripts and to instead go for mobilizations seems totally bizarre. Some might say its just stupidity, but that doesn't wash. Putin is not stupid. Incompetence? Well maybe, but not of this magnitude surely. So what could be going on here?
If Putin continues to insist that conscripts are non-deployable, then conscripts no longer have a place in the Ground Army. Logically the now useless draft ought to be ended, and the freed-up resources used to give brigades more of the deployable mobiki.
They will become usable in a few months time
Russia still needs troops to protect itself from other directions, not just Ukraine, so your conscripts point is moot and not well thought - they are still needed.