RECAST - Kremlin Spokesman Denies Media Reports About Son's Refusal To Come To Draft Board

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2022) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told Russian newspaper Podyem! (Wake Up!) that journalists distorted the words of his son, Nikolay Peskov, when reporting that he had allegedly refused to come to a military enlistment office amid partial mobilization in the country.

On Wednesday, people who introduced themselves as alleged employees of a military enlistment office telephoned Nikolay Peskov and demanded that he appear at a draft board at 10 a.m. (07:00 GMT) on September 22, according to Russian media. The son of the Kremlin spokesman reportedly refused to do this.

"First, ask them to publish the whole conversation. I do not have doubts about his (son's) only right choice. And neither has he," Dmitry Peskov told the media outlet.

On Tuesday, the breakaway republics of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), as well as the Russian-controlled parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions said they would stage referendums on joining Russia from September 23-27.

The next day, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization in the country. The measure is prompted by the need to control the 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) contact line with Ukrainian forces and Russian-controlled territories, according to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The partial mobilization requires only 1% of Russia's total mobilization resource, or about 300,000 reservists.

The DPR and LPR proclaimed their independence from Ukraine in 2014 after holding referendums on self-determination. In February 2022, Russia recognized the DPR and LPR and launched a special military operation in Ukraine in response to calls for help from the two breakaway republics.