Putin Has Drawn 'Condemnation From Russian Parents' Over Major Ukraine War Move, UK Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the congress of the Movement of the First in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, March 26, 2025.Vladimir Putin has attracted “condemnation from Russian parents” for his treatment of new military conscripts, according to the UK.The president called up 160,000 Russian men aged between 18 and 30 on March 31 as part of the Kremlin’s annual spring conscription cycle.Everyone eligible has to serve for a year but Moscow has promised not to send these new troops to the frontline in Ukraine, where Russia continues its brutal land grab – despite its soaring casualty rate.But the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) noted that some new conscripts were “highly likely involved” in another fierce battle on Russian land.After losing a fifth of their own territory to the Russian forces, Ukrainian troops launched a surprise cross-border incursion last summer and seized the Kursk Oblast.This set up a new frontline within Russian borders – and conscripts were reportedly sent to defend the land.According to the MoD’s latest update on X, “this drew condemnation from Russian parents who complained their sons were being sent to a combat zone with only four months of training”.The British officials added: “Up to 1,000 Russian conscripts were reportedly sent to Kursk with 250 captured as prisoners of war.”Moscow announces two waves of conscription every year, one in the spring and another in the autumn.But the most recent call-up was the largest one since 2011 – meaning it could draw even more frustration from the general public.The hike in numbers comes after the Russian ministry of defence announced plans to hike the military up to 1.5 million by the end of 2026, making it the second largest army after China.But Putin’s push forward in Ukraine puts this ambition in jeopardy.“Russia has likely sustained more than 900,000 casualties fighting in Ukraine,” the MoD said.“To replace these battlefield losses and sustain the war effort. conscripts will almost certainly be pressured to sign permanent military contracts which make them eligible for duty in Ukraine.”The government department has previously warned that the Kremlin is threatening to send Russian troops to the “meat grinder” unless they sign contracts.It comes as Putin and his ministers continues to delay a potential ceasefire – brokered by the US – with the Ukraine, by falsely claiming America is not respecting their demands.Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 03 April 2025. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/mDeSNxDRin#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/pxZAvJzJYd— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 3, 2025Related...Newspapers In Putin's Russia Brutally Skewer Trump Over Ukraine Peace TalksNorth Korea Has Suffered More Than 5,000 Casualties Fighting For Russia In Ukraine, UK SaysVladimir Putin Goes On A Bizarre Rant About How Many 'Friends' Russia Has Around The World