After the elections, Russia may announce a new mobilization of 300,000 people – Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia may conduct a new wave of mobilization after the September elections to the State Duma and recruit at least 300,000 troops to continue the war against Ukraine, reports UNN.

Details

According to Zelenskyy, in 2026 the Russian authorities plan to recruit approximately 300,000 additional people, and recruitment may continue in 2027.

"Their (the Russians', — ed.) intention today is 300,000 additional people for 2026, plus more for 2027. The target was half a million; now their strategy for 2026 is an additional 300,000 people to the front," Zelenskyy said.

The president suggested that the Kremlin would try to conduct the new mobilization campaign mainly in Russia's remote regions, minimally affecting Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other major cities.

According to the Ukrainian side's assessment, the reinforcements will be "thrown" into Donetsk region. This includes, in particular, Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk. Zelenskyy also does not rule out that Russia may use some of the new forces in attempts to expand the so-called "buffer zone" in Kharkiv and Sumy regions.

The president separately mentioned a possible scenario involving the activation of Russian forces in the direction of Chernihiv and Kyiv regions from Russia's Bryansk region. At the same time, he stressed that Russia currently does not have the troop grouping necessary for such an offensive there.

Preparation for mobilization

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian intelligence had information about Russia's preparations for an autumn mobilization. According to him, the relevant information is contained, in particular, in internal Russian documents.

Western intelligence agencies are also recording signs that Russia is preparing for a possible new wave of mobilization. In particular, there have been reports of checks of the readiness of military infrastructure to receive a large number of mobilized personnel.

At the same time, the Kremlin's final decision to conduct a large-scale new mobilization has not been publicly confirmed so far.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia is simultaneously facing a decline in the pace of contract recruitment amid significant losses at the front. The Russian authorities' plan for 2026 envisaged recruiting more than 400,000 contract soldiers, but the current recruitment rates may prove insufficient to fulfill it.

The first large-scale mobilization in Russia after the start of the full-scale invasion was announced in September 2022. At the time, the Russian authorities said they would call up approximately 300,000 reservists. The campaign caused a mass exodus of men from the country, queues at the borders, and protests in a number of regions.

It should be recalled

On August 23, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that, in the future, Russia may try to launch an offensive from Bryansk region toward the Chernihiv-Kyiv axis, in particular to create a so-called "buffer zone." At the same time, Russia currently does not have the troop grouping necessary for such an operation near Ukraine's northern border.