Putin Supports Plan to Man Air Defense in Regions with Those ‘Absolutely Unsuitable’ for Military Service

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Sept. 5 – At a meeting with five United Russia Duma candidates, Putin said he supports their proposal to man air defense facilities in the regions with men who because of physical or mental problems have been classified as “absolutely unsuitable” for service in the Russian army.

            Men in what is known as category “D” are not drafted and are not accepted for service even if they volunteer, but many of them want to serve their country, Putin was told; and the Russian president said he supports the idea (novayagazeta.ru/articles/2026/09/05/putin-odobril-ideiu-privlech-k-protivovozdushnoi-oborone-v-regionakh-dobrovoltsev-s-kategoriei-godnosti-d-absoliutno-ne-goden-k-sluzhbe-news).

            Putin’s backing reflects both his search for manpower to fill the rapidly thinning ranks of his invasion force in Ukraine and his desire to show the Russian people that he will do everything he can to limit or even end the impact of Ukrainian drone attacks on targets in the Russian Federation.

            But if the president’s approval leads to the actual use of such men, some of them may be sufficiently disabled that they won’t be able to perform as required – or potentially that this will prove the thin edge of the wedge and some of them may be sent to fight in Ukraine once they have become soldiers for air defense.