Putin also backed plans to allow volunteers to fight in Ukraine, where he has sent thousands of Russian troops in what he calls a “special military operation.”
“If you see that there are people who want on a voluntary basis (to help east Ukraine’s separatists), then you need to meet them halfway and help them move to combat zones,” Putin told Shoigu during a televised Security Council meeting.
According to Shoigu, more than 16,000 volunteers — mostly from the Middle East — have appealed to join the military action.
