Conscripts, including students who returned from Russian military units after they were demobilised, were pictured attending an acknowledgment ceremony this morning in the Donetsk region, in Russian-controlled Ukraine.
Concerns persist in Russia about whether the Kremlin may renew its mobilisation efforts, as Ukrainian forces continue to press a counter-offensive in the country’s south and east.
Moscow has suffered a string of battlefield setbacks, losing territory in the northeastern Kharkiv and southern Kherson regions.
While Russian officials declared the "partial mobilisation” complete last month, critics have warned it could resume after military enlistment offices are freed up from processing conscripts from Russia's annual autumn draft.