Russian politicians call for Putin’s ‘private army’ to be reinforced in military draft: MoD says National Guard is ‘under strain’ as it tries to enforce sham referendums in Ukraine and quell anti-mobilisation protests in Russia
- Putin’s private army may be under strain after demonstrations on Russian soil
- Duma member Aleksandr Khinstein began the calls to extend the mobilisation
- More than 2,000 people have been detained across Russia for protesting so far
- The force was used to stage Russia’s ‘referendums’ in occupied parts of Ukraine
Russian politicians are calling for Putin’s ‘private army’ to be reinforced as pressure mounts over the war in Ukraine with more than 2,000 Russians arrested for protesting against mobilisation.
British military intelligence reported Sunday that Russian politicians are calling for more Russians to be mobilised to serve in the National Guard, used to quell protestors and enforce state violence at home.
‘With a requirement to quell growing domestic dissent in Russia, as well as operational taskings in Ukraine, Rosgvardia is highly likely under particular strain,’ said the UK Ministry of Defence in a briefing note.
The Rosgvardia, created in 2016 to fight terrorism and organised crime, is a ‘private army’ whose loyalty is ‘to the president rather than to the state’, according to Stefan Hedlund, a Swedish academic and expert on Russian and Soviet studies.
The force was recently used to facilitate Russia’s ‘referendums’ in parts of occupied Ukrainian territory, with Western countries calling them a ‘sham’ designed to disguise an illegitimate attempt by Moscow to seize Ukrainian territory.
The Intelligence brief said high-profile Russian nationalist Duma member Aleksandr Khinstein proposed to reinforce the guard and open the door for more units to fight in Ukraine, suggesting the Kremlin is struggling to keep disserts at bay both at home and abroad.
The Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia), known as ‘Putin’s private army’, are pictured blocking off Moscow’s Manezhnaya Square last year. British military intelligence reported that Russian politicians are calling for more Russians to be mobilised to serve in the National Guard
The Rosgvardia, was created in 2016 to fight terrorism and organised crime, but answers directly to Putin and is normally used to suppress descent at home. They are now being deployed in Ukraine, forcing the Kremlin to split its manpower
high-profile Russian nationalist Duma member Aleksandr Khinstein proposed to reinforce the guard in Ukraine
It comes after nearly three-quarters of countries in the United Nations assembly voted on Saturday to reprimand Russia and demand it withdraw its troops shortly after the February 24 invasion that Russia calls a special military operation.
Russia’s military campaign has killed tens of thousands, left some Ukrainian cities wastelands and triggered Russia’s biggest confrontation with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Ukraine’s military said early on Sunday that Russian forces had launched dozens of missile attacks and air strikes on military and civilian targets, including 35 ‘settlements’, in the past 24 hours.
Russia also used drones to attack the centre of the southern city of Odesa, Ukraine’s military said. No casualties were reported.
Russia denies targeting civilians. Its RIA state news agency reported that Ukrainian forces bombed a hotel in the city of Kherson, killing two people. Russian forces have occupied the southern city since the early days of the invasion.
Police detain a demonstrator protesting against mobilisation in St. Petersburg, Saturday
Police detain a man in Saint Petersburg on September 24, following calls to protest against the partial mobilisation announced by the Russian President
More than 2,000 people have been detained across Russia for protesting the draft, including 798 people in 33 towns on Saturday, according to independent monitoring group OVD-Info
Russian law enforcement officers detain a person during an unsanctioned rally
Nearly half of those detained were arrested in Moscow, at rallies following the partial mobilisation designed to bolster Russia’s operation in Ukrain
There has been no immediate response from Ukraine, with MailOnline unable to immediately verify either side’s claims.
The votes on becoming part of Russia were hastily organised after Ukraine recaptured large swathes of the northeast in a counteroffensive this month.
Ukrainian officials said people were banned from leaving occupied areas until the four-day vote was over, armed groups were going into homes, and employees were threatened with the sack if they did not participate.
Lavrov, in a news conference following his speech to the assembly in New York, said the regions where votes are underway would be under Moscow’s ‘full protection’ if they are annexed by Russia.
Russia said the referendums offer an opportunity for people in those regions to express their view.
The Group of Seven industrialised economies said they will not recognise the results of the votes.
A woman is shown evacuating with belongings and protecting her ears after a Russian attack in the frontline city of Kupiansk, in the Kharkiv region, on Saturday
A man walks with a cane near a bridge over the Oskil River as black smoke rises in the frontline city of Kupiansk
Asked if Russia would have grounds for using nuclear weapons to defend annexed regions of Ukraine, Lavrov said Russian territory, including territory ‘further enshrined’ in Russia’s constitution in the future, ‘is under the full protection of the state’.
‘All of the laws, doctrines, concepts and strategies of the Russian Federation apply to all of its territory,’ he said, also referring specifically to Russia’s doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said Russia’s statements on the possible use of nuclear weapons were ‘absolutely unacceptable’ and Kyiv would not give into them.
‘We call on all nuclear powers to speak out now and make it clear to Russia that such rhetoric put the world at risk and will not be tolerated,’ Kuleba said.
Civilians look on during a military training session by the Right Sector close to Lviv, Ukraine, Saturday, Sept. 24
Civilians holding wooden replicas of rifles take part in a military training organized by the Ukraine
A military instructor dressed in ghillie and holding a gun takes part in military training
Ukraine has requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting over the referendums, accusing Russia of violating the UN Charter by attempting to change Ukraine’s borders.
Putin on Wednesday ordered the first mobilization since World War Two, sending some Russian men swiftly toward borders, with traffic at frontier crossings with Finland and Georgia surging and prices for air tickets from Moscow rocketing.
More than 2,000 people have been detained across Russia for protesting the draft, including 798 people in 33 towns on Saturday, according to independent monitoring group OVD-Info.
Frustration has even spread to pro-Kremlin media, with one editor at the state-run RT news channel complaining that call-up papers being sent to the wrong men, adding that such issues were ‘infuriating people’.
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