The authorities were supposed to promote recruitment into the St. Petersburg-based volunteer battalions Neva, Kronstadt, and Pavlovsk.

Russian media, probably at the direction of the Kremlin, massively criticize the governor of St. Petersburg , Alexander Beglov, who was unable to gather volunteers for the war in Ukraine. 

This is discussed in the report of the American Institute for the Study of War ( ISW ). 

“The Kremlin has apparently directed media outlets closely linked to Moscow to criticize St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov for not stimulating recruitment into volunteer battalions in the city. … ISW previously reported that some St. Petersburg military commissariats sent a summons to all local men, in order to advertise contract service, which drew criticism on the Internet and prompted the St. Petersburg authorities to deny the legitimacy of the letters,” the report says.

The authorities were supposed to promote recruitment for the St. Petersburg-based volunteer battalions Neva, Kronstadt, and Pavlovsk, but only 100 volunteers have been recruited since early July. 

One publication published an article accusing Beglov and his administration of failing to allocate appropriate funds, issue the necessary recruitment instructions, and fail to organize a media campaign. 

Analysts note that the administrations of the subjects of the federation, interested in pleasing Putin, continue to advertise contract service by all available means. 

Beglov tried to improve his relationship with the Kremlin by becoming the mouthpiece of an alleged Russian “victory” in Mariupol and making St. Petersburg the patron city of Mariupol. But, as analysts say, he is not interested in recruiting volunteers.

“The war was an opportunity to restore public support in St. Petersburg, and the recruitment campaign for volunteer battalions is likely to only alienate the city’s residents,” the report says.

Earlier it became known  about the formation in St. Petersburg of three “nominal” volunteer units to participate in the war against Ukraine.  The formation of such detachments has been going on since the spring: more than 40 such units have already been created in at least two dozen subjects of the Russian Federation.

Alexei Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, is sure that  no volunteer battalion “Moscow” or “Petersburg” exists  and is unlikely to exist.

Russia sends mainly representatives of remote regions to the war. Residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg, where more than 12% of the country’s population lives in total,  are practically absent in the reports on the dead Russians.

The OPU noted that, on average, Muscovites  die at the front 87.5 times less than Dagestanis, 275 times less than Buryats, and 350 times less than Tuvans.

(C)UNIAN 2022