Russia will be able to deploy around 2 million military reservists to fight in Ukraine if needed under amendments to the law likely to be backed by parliament, giving it greater flexibility to ramp up the size of its force there.
In a bruising war of attrition, with heavy losses on both sides, the move would free up President Vladimir Putin to refresh and expand Russia's force in Ukraine — which he has said numbers over 700,000 soldiers — by calling up reservists who have voluntarily signed contracts with the Defense Ministry.
The amendment would allow reservists to be called up during peacetime, rather than only during martial law or when war has been declared. Russia calls its invasion of Ukraine a "special military operation" rather than a war.
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