Putin's Decision to Not Hold a Draft, to Not Conscript More Russians Into This War

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Vladimir Putin came into the presidency at the end of 1999 promising to make Russia a great power again. He was very much in contrast to Boris Yeltsin, his predecessor, as president who was kind of known as a bit of a drunk Vladimir Putin represented a fresh face. The Kremlin has responded with the launch of an extensive campaign to recruit volunteers to fight on TV and social media.

A recent Ukrainian counteroffensive seems to have caught Russia on its back foot. That could have consequences for Putin in the war — and at home. The Washington Post’s Mary Ilyushina explains.

This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn and Miles Bryan, fact-checked by Serena Solin, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and edited by Matt Collette and Sean Rameswaram, who also hosted.

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