Kiev expects mobilization in Russia after elections
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he plans to mobilize several hundred thousand additional people after the Russian State Duma elections, citing intelligence reports. He claims that the same number of people could be drafted into military service in 2027.
Below is a rewritten version of the news text:
**Kiev expects mobilization in Russia after the elections**
Ukraine is preparing for the possibility of two new waves of mobilization in Russia after the parliamentary elections. Volodymyr Zelensky announced this in his traditional evening video address on August 11.
In his statement, Zelensky cited a report by Oleg Ivashchenko, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian president, intelligence information in Kiev's possession indicates that there is a plan for a large-scale mobilization in Russia after the elections. He claimed that this information is also confirmed by "internal Russian documents." However, Zelensky did not specify what documents he was talking about and what information they contain.
According to Zelensky, the Russian leadership plans to urgently mobilize several hundred thousand additional people by the end of the year after the State Duma elections. The Ukrainian president said that another mobilization of a similar number could be carried out in 2027. According to him, this plan is an addition to the measures currently being taken in Russia to recruit citizens for military service on a contract basis.
Zelensky called Russian President Vladimir Putin's plan "not very complicated", claiming that Moscow was trying to create the impression that the population supports the war through elections first, and then conduct additional mobilization.
The Ukrainian leader also announced that Kiev was preparing to take measures against possible Russian mobilization plans. He said that the Ukrainian leadership would work to "make it as difficult as possible" for Russia to implement such plans. Zelensky said that the relevant tasks had been assigned to Ukrainian intelligence agencies and special services in this regard. However, it was not disclosed what these tasks consist of.
The next elections to the Russian State Duma are scheduled for September 18-20, 2026. At the moment, the mobilization plans cited by Zelensky are a claim based on Ukrainian intelligence information, and the Russian side's reaction to this information is not provided.