Zelenskyy: Russia is preparing the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of people in the fall

Russia is preparing a new wave of mobilization for fall 2026 and plans to carry it out after the State Duma elections. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy following a report from the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Oleh Ivashchenko. According to the head of state, the preparation is confirmed by internal Russian documents.

Zelenskyy asserts that after the parliamentary elections, Vladimir Putin plans to carry out an additional rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand people by the end of 2026. A comparable number of Russians, according to Ukrainian data, are planned to be recruited into the army over the course of the following year.

This draft is to be carried out in addition to the existing contract recruitment system. The President of Ukraine believes that in this way Moscow plans to compensate for losses, maintain the ability to continue the war, and increase the intensity of assault actions.

Zelenskyy also stated that Russia plans to additionally use military personnel from North Korea. According to him, Ukrainian intelligence and special services have already received tasks aimed at maximally complicating the implementation of Russian plans.

The elections of deputies to the Russian State Duma are scheduled for September 20, 2026. The corresponding decree was signed in June. Thus, if the assessments of Ukrainian intelligence are confirmed, a new mobilization campaign may begin as early as the fall after the voting.

Kurs previously reported that Ukrainian intelligence had already detected infrastructure preparations for a possible large-scale mobilization in Russia after the elections. In July, Zelenskyy also spoke about data received by Kyiv regarding a new wave of conscription, but at that time the specific expected number of mobilized individuals was not stated. New in the statement on August 11 was the assessment of the scale—several hundred thousand people by the end of the year and a comparable number in 2027.

Based on materials from: Office of the President of Ukraine