Russian military units in some areas, particularly in Donetsk Oblast, have begun to receive orders from their leadership to temporarily stop offensive operations, Ukraine's General Staff reported on Oct. 13.
The main reasons behind those orders are "the extremely low morale and psychological condition of the recruits, numerous facts of desertion, and refusing to obey combat orders," reads the report.
On Oct. 4, Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, that the country had conscripted 200,000 personnel since Sept. 21.
Vadym Skibitsky, a deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence, later said that Russia had been conducting covert mobilization since May when its forces had failed to achieve the tasks set for the invasion.
