President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order on Tuesday authorizing the military to summon members of its mobilization reserve next year for “special” assemblies aimed at protecting critical infrastructure.
The order directs the government to draw up a list of facilities requiring protection, while the Defense Ministry is tasked with designating the military units responsible for conducting the assemblies.
Russia’s mobilization reserve consists of volunteers who have signed contracts committing them to periodic service. Until recently, reservists could be assigned combat duties only during mobilization or wartime and were typically called up for training no more than once a year.
In November, Putin signed legislation expanding the circumstances under which reservists can be deployed, allowing them to be summoned in peacetime for so-called “special” assemblies to safeguard critical infrastructure and other sites the government deems essential.
The business newspaper Kommersant reported that recruitment campaigns have already begun in several regions to enlist reservists into units tasked with protecting such facilities.
The move comes as Russia faces mounting challenges defending military sites and key infrastructure from Ukrainian drone attacks, which have increasingly targeted oil and gas installations vital to the country’s energy sector.
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