Zelenskyy announced a new wave of mobilization in Russia
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia is preparing for a new large-scale wave of mobilization. According to Ukrainian intelligence, following the State Duma elections, the Kremlin may draft between 300,000 and 500,000 people.
The president also called on allies to intensify sanctions pressure on Russia immediately. He said this would help complicate the enemy’s preparations for a new mobilization and weaken its military capabilities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the Kremlin is preparing a new large-scale wave of mobilization. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian authorities plan to draft between 300,000 and 500,000 people following the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian intelligence has obtained information about the Russian leadership’s future plans. He noted that the new phase of mobilization will likely begin in late September or early October, after the election campaign in Russia has concluded.
The president believes that Vladimir Putin is still reluctant to carry out a large-scale mobilization openly due to the possible reaction from Russian society. However, he said, the Kremlin still plans to significantly increase the size of the army. “He is still afraid of mobilization, but after the elections, they plan to draft between 300,000 and 500,000 people,” Zelenskyy said.
At the same time, the Ukrainian president stressed that international partners must step up pressure on Russia right now. First and foremost, he said, this involves tougher economic sanctions. “Before it’s too late, we need to put as much pressure on Russia as possible. This applies first and foremost to sanctions,” the head of state noted.
Zelenskyy also emphasized that Ukraine will continue to launch long-range strikes against military targets on Russian territory. According to him, the main objective is to disrupt Russian logistics, reduce fuel and weapons stockpiles, and thwart preparations for a new mobilization. “We need to create even more problems for them with logistics, fuel, and weapons. This will be a serious obstacle to a new wave of mobilization,” the president said.
At the same time, Zelenskyy suggested that a significant portion of those to be mobilized will lack sufficient military training. “He will send poorly trained—and mostly untrained—soldiers onto the battlefield. This will result in heavy losses. But it’s his choice—whether to do this or not,” the head of state stated.
Separately, the president drew attention to the support Russia is receiving from other countries. According to him, North Korea may send another 30,000 troops to Russia, Iran is capable of supplying new batches of ballistic and other missiles, and China is already cooperating with Russia in the field of technology. Zelenskyy also noted that representatives of the Russian business elite are aware of the difficult situation in the country’s economy. At the same time, he said, companies that serve the military-industrial complex and profit from the war have no interest in seeing it end.
The president emphasized that this is precisely why Ukraine and its allies must continue to exert political, economic, and military pressure on Russia to prevent the Kremlin from building up its forces and prolonging the war. The head of state made these remarks in an interview with Sky News.
As a reminder, over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces eliminated 1,590 Russian soldiers. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine released updated data on Russian military losses in the war against Ukraine as of July 27, 2026.
On the night of July 26, Russian troops launched a combined attack on Ukraine, using ballistic missiles, a guided air-to-ground missile, and attack drones. Air defense forces destroyed one X-59/69 guided air-to-ground missile, five of seven “Iskander-M”/S-400 ballistic missiles, and 104 enemy drones.
