Kremlin spokesman Peskov denies plans for new mobilization round, claims no decree needed to end draft

Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans for signing a new decree to end mobilization, says the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Despite Moscow municipal deputies’ requests for a decree that would put an end to any confusion about the draft, the Kremlin is determined to do nothing: “We have already explained this, so we have nothing new to say in this regard,” Peskov said in his daily briefing.

The press secretary also said it’s best to ignore the reports about a possible second round of mobilization, which he described as “provocations.” Instead, Russians should “be oriented by information coming from the Defense Ministry and the president.”

In September 2022, less than a month before the start of mobilization, Peskov assured the press that it wasn’t going to happen. “At this moment, there isn’t any talk about it,” he said.

In late November, the Moscow City Duma deputies from the KPRF, Yabloko, and Just Russia parties asked Putin to sign a decree that would clearly end mobilization. The deputies explained that many Russians are “unable to make plans for their own and their families’ future,” or to “carry on with life as usual.”

Days earlier, Yabloko party deputies from the Karelian legislative chamber made a similar request.

The Kremlin continues to insist that no special decree is necessary to end mobilization, and that Putin should be taken at his word. At the same time, legal experts have pointed out that a verbal promise is not enough to settle this question.

Reports from different Russian regions show that residents are still being drafted, in spite of the president’s and the Defense Ministry’s assurances.

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