Putin Expands Military Reservist Role to Safeguard Key Infrastructure Amid Rising Threats

President Vladimir Putin issued an executive order on Tuesday that empowers the military to summon members of its mobilization reserve for special assemblies next year, aimed at safeguarding critical infrastructure.

The directive instructs the government to compile a list of facilities that require protection, while the Defense Ministry is assigned the responsibility of identifying the military units that will conduct these assemblies.

Russia’s mobilization reserve is made up of volunteers who have entered into contracts that obligate them to serve periodically. Previously, reservists could only be called up for active duty during wartime or full mobilization, and they were generally only summoned for training once a year.

In November, Putin approved new legislation that broadens the scenarios in which reservists can be deployed, permitting their participation in special assemblies during peacetime to safeguard essential infrastructure and other sites deemed critical by the government.

According to the business newspaper Kommersant, recruitment efforts have already commenced in several regions to enroll reservists into units designated for the protection of these facilities.

This initiative arises as Russia encounters increasing difficulties in defending military sites and crucial infrastructure from Ukrainian drone assaults, which have increasingly targeted key oil and gas installations critical to the nation’s energy sector.