Putin wants to draft 300,000 new troops, Zelenskiy says
KYIV: Ukraine thinks Russia is planning to draft an additional 300,000 troops for its war effort after Russian parliamentary elections in mid-September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Moscow’s forces are pressing ahead with an effort to capture the rest of eastern Ukraine’s industrialised Donbas region, where its troops have ground forward at what Kyiv says is a great cost. In…
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claims Russia is preparing to draft an additional 300,000 troops for its ongoing war effort following parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18 to 20. Russian forces are intensifying their push to capture the industrialized eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, where they have made significant gains at a great cost to Ukrainian troops.
Zelenskiy stated that Russia could draft more troops in 2027 to reach a total goal of 500,000, describing it as a "peripheral mobilization" targeting Russia's distant regions. However, he believes the draft will not target central cities and doubts Russia's ability to conceal such a move. The Ukrainian president also reported recent Ukrainian military advances in southeastern Ukraine, with the territory occupied by Russia and liberated by Ukrainian forces expected to be equal by 2026.
France has agreed to expedite air defense deliveries to Ukraine, but the country is facing a critical shortage of U.S.-designed Patriot interceptors. Additionally, Russia is reportedly boosting its missile production capacity, aiming to manufacture up to 1,300 ballistic missiles per year. Ukraine has intensified drone strikes on Russian economic infrastructure, including oil refineries and online retailer warehouses, to disrupt the war effort.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened a retaliation against Ukraine's sensitive economic sectors. Ukraine anticipates another challenging winter due to Russian strikes on its energy grid, prompting calls for additional missile interceptors. Moreover, Ukraine faces a $27 billion defense funding gap in 2026, with a need for $8 billion to begin 2027 operations, $20 billion for military salaries, and other expenses.
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