MOSCOW, July 18 — Against the grey winter of 2022, the Kremlin’s decision to call up military reservists for the war in Ukraine was presented as a limited, temporary measure. More than three years later, that “partial mobilization” remains legally in force, a fact confirmed by Russia’s own Supreme Court and never formally revoked by President Vladimir Putin. On 21 September 2022, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russia would mobilise 300,000 recruits from what he called a “huge mobilization reserve.” The exact number was classified.
The move came at a moment of acute military pressure: Ukrainian counter-offensives in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions had exposed severe Russian manpower shortages and heavy casualties. The announcement also coincided with the government’s decision to stage annexation referendums in four partially occupied Ukrainian regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, K
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MOSCOW, July 18 —
The legal status of the mobilization order carries significant implications for Russian society.
Under Russian law, a presidential decree on mobilization remains in effect until it is formally rescinded, regardless of whether the original call-up has been completed. This means the government retains the legal authority to issue new call-up notices without needing a fresh decree from the president. Since late 2022, the Kremlin has stated that there are no plans for a second wave of mobilization, yet the continuing legal framework has fueled public anxiety and prompted men of military age to leave the country or avoid registration.
The decision to maintain the decree reflects the broader trajectory of the conflict, which has evolved from a short-term military operation into a protracted war of attrition. Russia’s initial campaign in 2022 suffered major setbacks, leading to the mobilization as a stopgap measure to stabilize front lines.
Since then, the military has relied on a combination of volunteer contract soldiers, paid recruitment drives, and periodic regional call-ups to sustain troop levels. The unresolved legal status of the 2022 mobilization serves as a reminder that the manpower requirements of the war remain uncertain and that the state may need to tap the reserve pool again if voluntary recruitment proves insufficient. Internationally, the continued legality of the mobilization has been cited by Western officials and analysts as evidence that Russia’s war effort is under long-term strain.
It also complicates diplomatic efforts, since any ceasefire or peace negotiation would likely need to address the status of mobilized personnel and the broader demobilization process. Domestically, the issue remains politically sensitive: the original mobilization triggered the largest exodus of Russians since the Soviet collapse and provoked rare public protests, which were met with a sweeping crackdown. The absence of a formal end to the mobilization permits the state to maintain a posture of readiness while avoiding the political costs of announcing a new round.
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