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Russia Preparing Autumn Mobilization Immediately After “Imitation” Elections, Zelenskyy Says
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Ukrainian intelligence has obtained internal Russian documents pointing to a major mobilization drive in Russia this autumn, timed to follow staged parliamentary elections, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on August 11.
Zelenskyy shared the assessment on his official Telegram channel, attributing it to a report from the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) presented by Oleh Ivashchenko.
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Zelenskyy laid out the timeline directly. "They are preparing it for the autumn, right after the imitation of parliamentary elections," he wrote.
"And then, after the so-called elections, he plans an additional rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year, plus the same amount again for next year. This is in addition to the recruitment they are trying to fulfill through contracts."
Zelenskyy described Russian President Vladimir Putin’s calculation as an effort to manufacture the appearance of domestic support for the war before ordering the call-up.
He noted that the parties currently permitted to run are, in one form or another, opposed to peace, allowing the vote to project public backing that Putin could then invoke.
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Zelenskyy added that Ukraine is preparing its own active measures to complicate Russia's ability to carry out the plans as fully as possible. He indicated he had assigned corresponding tasks to Ukraine's intelligence agencies and special services.
Warnings of a post-election call-up have been building through the summer. Earlier Ukrainian assessments placed the anticipated additional mobilization at between 300,000 and 500,000 personnel.
That projection came against a recruitment effort straining to keep pace, with Russia enlisting roughly 221,000 contract soldiers since the start of 2026 while losing around 225,500 troops over the same span.
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