Putin dismisses mobilization reports as Ukraine warns Russia could call up 600,000 to war

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed as "complete nonsense" reports of a potential mass mobilization of troops after Ukraine's parliamentary elections, according to RBC. He made the remarks after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek. Ukrainian military and intelligence services reported that Russia's General Staff had prepared a contingency plan for mobilizing an additional 600,000 personnel over the next two years, with 300,000 recruits each year.

This scenario, they emphasized, was not an active call-up but rather a prepared plan in case of war. Ukraine's intelligence attributed this plan to rising battlefield casualties and a slowdown in contract recruitment. Reports also highlighted that Russia had lost around 240,000 personnel between January and July this year, with approximately 140,000 losing their lives or being permanently disabled, while recruiting about 232,000 contract soldiers.

These statistics have not been independently verified. Additional reports suggested that Russia practiced mobilization procedures for residents of Kaliningrad Oblast in July, as per The Wall Street Journal. Such mobilization reports have raised alarm inside Russia, with over 20,000 people crossing into Georgia via the Verkhny Lars checkpoint due to mobilization fears.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier suggested Moscow would mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops post-elections and similarly in 2027. However, Ukraine's Deputy Chief Vadym Skibitskyi noted that a draft could be used for a northern offensive by February 2027, if necessary. Russian officials, including Dmitry Medvedev and Vasily Nebenzya, as well as the State Duma's defense committee, have consistently denied any plans for another mass draft.

Despite these denials, the decree authorizing the 2022 mobilization remains in effect, and no new call-up has been publicly announced or confirmed as underway.