Putin visited a center for mobilized soldiers: He tried shooting a new rifle – Novy Čas

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a training center for mobilized Russian soldiers on Thursday. The head of the Kremlin tried shooting at the shooting range and met with the commanders, whom he wished “good luck”. TASR took over the report from the AFP agency. Putin visited the training center in the Ryazan region, located southeast of Moscow. Russian state television broadcast footage showing the Russian president, dressed in black and wearing safety glasses, firing several rounds from Russia’s new Dragunov SVD sniper rifle and hugging soldiers. According to Russian media, Putin “watched practical exercises” including fire drills and medical and engineering training. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also accompanied the head of the Kremlin on his visit. On September 21, the Russian president announced a partial mobilization, on the basis of which 300,000 reservists of the Russian armed forces are to be mobilized. The Department of Defense later announced that 200,000 mobilized volunteers had already joined the Russian army.