The General Staff opposes the new Defense Minister's initiatives to introduce forced mobilization, according to informed sources familiar with internal discussions within the military leadership.
According to them, a separate working group has been created, personally supervised by Fedorov. It is within this group that proposals for changing approaches to mobilization are being worked out, but they do not have support from the General Staff.
At this stage, the territorial recruitment centers will continue to operate in the current format. Sources note that there is no faith within the system in the effectiveness of digitalization of mobilization processes, despite public statements about the need to transition to modern tools for accounting and calling up those liable for military service.
According to sources, the dominant belief in the military enlistment offices themselves is that the only way to implement mobilization plans remains through force — the actual delivery of summonses on the streets. The possibility of lowering the minimum mobilization age to 20 is being discussed separately.
Sources emphasize that differences between the military command and the political leadership of the Ministry of Defense are intensifying, and there is currently no unified vision for further steps on the mobilization issue. At the same time, any public decisions on this issue may be postponed due to the sensitivity of the topic and the risks of public resonance.
