President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 11 said Ukraine has seen evidence that Moscow plans a full mobilization after Russia's parliamentary elections next month, The Kyiv Independent reports.
"Putin's plan is not particularly complicated… 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 number for the year after," he said in a post on social media.
Zelensky said the plans were "confirmed by internal Russian documents" that he had discussed in a meeting with intelligence chiefs.
"We are preparing… to make it as difficult as possible for Russia to implement such plans. I have assigned the appropriate tasks to our intelligence and special services of Ukraine," Zelensky added.
Russia's parliamentary elections are set for Sept. 18–20, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia all but assured of winning in the face of no credible opposition.
Ukrainian officials have warned throughout the summer of a new wave of Russian mobilization, as the Kremlin continues to come up short of its recruitment goals while casualty rates continue to climb.
Russia has announced only one "partial mobilization" during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — in September 2022. The move sparked protests across the country and prompted thousands of Russians to flee abroad.
Announcing a full mobilization would be a politically risky move for Putin.
To sustain its war effort, Moscow has relied on contract soldiers, foreign mercenaries, and North Korean troops. There have also been confirmed cases of Russian conscripts taking part in the war in Ukraine, despite repeated claims by Russian officials that conscripts are not being deployed to the front.
With Russia's economy strained by the war and public fatigue steadily growing, the political consequences of a second mobilization could be significantly more difficult for the Kremlin to manage.
"If Russia does trigger military mobilization, it is a sign that the regime is under tremendous strain and is politically trapped," said Max Bergmann, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
