Putin Preparing Post-Election Mobilization of Up to 500,000 Troops, Zelenskyy Warns

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is preparing to launch a new wave of military mobilization following Russia’s parliamentary elections in September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an interview with Sky News on July 27.

Zelenskyy stated that Putin is aiming to draft up to 500,000 troops to sustain his invasion.

“Putin is not ready to stop this war,” Zelenskyy warned, citing intelligence reports that Moscow plans to launch a covert call-up following the September 21 State Duma  elections. He emphasized that the Kremlin leader intends to execute the mobilization “not openly, because he is afraid of his society,” but stressed that Western partners and Ukrainian forces can derail these efforts.

“He will do it at the beginning of October, if we do not create problems for him with logistics, weapons, gasoline, diesel, and if our partners do not introduce total sanctions for his aggression,” the Ukrainian President stated.

The planned recruitment wave would significantly scale up Russian frontline personnel, though it presents major operational and domestic challenges for Moscow. “This will become a big problem, because he will count on mobilizing 300,000 to 500,000 people,” Zelenskyy said. He noted that while internal polling reveals public opposition to mobilization and the war, political support for Putin remains intact, allowing the Kremlin leader to push forward despite domestic discord.

Read more

Category

War in Ukraine

Ukraine Continues to Eliminate More Russian Troops Than Russia Can Recruit—89,000 in 3 Months

Apr 01, 2026 11:58

Zelenskyy warned that absorbing hundreds of thousands of conscripts will strain Russia’s military infrastructure, forcing commanders to send unready troops directly into combat. “He will not be able to quickly prepare these people,” Zelenskyy said during the interview with Sky News. “This, again, means that he will send poorly prepared people to the battlefield. And this, in turn, means heavy losses.”

Amid heavy battlefield casualties that continue to outpace domestic recruitment, Russia was recently preparing to deploy an additional 30,000 North Korean troops and receive new ballistic missile launchers from Pyongyang to sustain its war effort.

Help Ukrainian Units Hold the Drone Line

Download APP