Moscow, 3 August 2023 (dpa/MIA) - More than 231,000 Russians have responded to a military recruitment campaign since January, Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.

In the face of fears among the population of a new military mobilization, the Russian leadership has declared several times that such a step was not necessary because there were many volunteers.

Nevertheless, many citizens do not trust the Kremlin's assurances.

Russia had called up some 300,000 reservists in a partial mobilization last year after suffering major losses in Ukraine. At the time, tens of thousands fled abroad to avoid having to fight.

Medvedev said numerous organizational and pay reforms have been made to make serving in the armed forces more attractive, such as better insurance benefits.

Photo: MIA archive