The Agentstvo.Novosti [Agency.News] Telegram channel:The Minister of Defense spoke about the return of soldiers from the front for the first time Russia's new Defense Minister Andrei Belousov on Thursday twice spoke about the need to prepare logistics infrastructure for the return of fighters from the war in Ukraine. Before this, neither Belousov, nor his predecessor Sergei Shoigu, nor Vladimir Putin himself made such statements.
Quote. “The 155th [Separate Naval Infantry] Brigade is fighting very successfully in the combat contact zone as part of a special operation in one of the most difficult directions, in the northern group. Therefore, we need to make sure that when the soldiers start returning, everything here is worthy, everything is ready,” Belousov
said at a meeting following a trip to the troops of the Eastern Military District.
▪️A few hours earlier, the minister
said almost the same thing after inspecting the construction site in the military camp of the 155th brigade: “Construction must be completed on time. The guys will now start returning, by this time all conditions must be created so that everything is ready.”
▪️From Belousov’s statements, it is not completely clear whether he is talking only about the soldiers of the 155th Brigade or about all Russian military personnel.
▪️
According to the Ministry of Defense, the first stage of construction of a military camp for the 155th Brigade should be completed before December 1, 2025. The department did not announce the timing of the second stage.
▪️In his month of work as minister, Belousov has not yet made such statements. Back on June 10, the press service of the Ministry of Defense
quoted a statement by Belousov, in which he expressed confidence that Russian military personnel “will continue to fulfill all assigned tasks with honor.” Nor did Belousov write anything about the return of soldiers in the telegram that he
sent at the end of May to military units located at the front.
▪️Previous Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also said nothing in recent months about the possible return of military personnel to their homeland. In a
telegram, which he sent on May 10 to military units, he “expressed confidence” that they “will continue to serve Russia with honor, reliably ensuring its security.”
▪️Vladimir Putin also prefers not to address the issue of returning war participants from the front in public speeches. In June 2023, speaking about the rotation of mobilized personnel, he
stated that the law does not provide specific deadlines for this, so “it will be necessary to proceed primarily from the availability of personnel , from how the situation is developing on the contact line.”
▪️Quote. “Of course, at some point it will be necessary to gradually return people home, and this issue is, of course, being discussed in the Ministry of Defense, it is on the table. It will depend on whether any mobilizations are needed and so on,” he said.
▪️In March, Putin
met with women who work in the combat zone. He wished them success and a speedy return home, without specifying when this would be possible.
Context. Since Putin’s decree on mobilization continues to be in force, mobilized and contract soldiers cannot
leave the army. In January, the head of the State Duma Defense Committee, Andrei Kartapolov,
stated to the Fontanka media outlet that “there is no need to disband” those who were mobilized.
▪️So far, only the wives of mobilized servicemen have expressed public disagreement with this position. Their the Put' Domoy [Way Home] movement held rallies and pickets, stating their demands. After the movement was recognized as a “foreign agent,” already in June 2024, the wives of those mobilized
gathered at the Ministry of Defense building with an unauthorized picket.
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