A former CIA director said that mobilization will not help Putin achieve his military objectives
A former CIA director stated that Vladimir Putin is unlikely to achieve his stated military objectives even after a new mobilization. In his view, Russia’s advantage in human resources and the economy does not guarantee that these objectives will be achieved.
This was stated by David Petraeus, former director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The former CIA director noted that Russia has five times more human resources than Ukraine, and its economy is twelve times larger.
“So will they win? No, not necessarily,” he said.
According to him, Ukrainian innovations on the front lines are preventing the Russians from achieving their objectives and are dealing devastating blows to their infrastructure.
The former CIA director pointed out that the Ukrainian military is systematically destroying Russia’s air and missile defense systems. According to him, this is being carried out by a commander with the call sign “Madyar” and fighters from Special Operations Center “A.”
“And when these targets become vulnerable or their defenses are weakened, the opportunities for the Ukrainians will increase,” he noted.
At the same time, he acknowledged that a war of attrition is now gaining momentum.
According to an RBC-Ukraine source, during the first two to three years of the war, the United States provided the bulk of Ukraine’s support. Now, however, European countries and the European Commission are playing the leading role.
The European Union has allocated 90 billion euros in emergency aid to address the financial and economic situation in Ukraine.
Some countries continue to supply equipment that Ukraine is not yet able to manufacture on its own, including air defense and missile defense systems.
The former CIA director added that Senator Lindsey Graham’s sanctions package could increase pressure on Russia’s economy if the U.S. House of Representatives passes it promptly.
According to the source, at some point, dictator Putin must realize that mobilizing another 100,000–200,000 soldiers will not allow him to achieve even tactical objectives, such as in the Donbas.
“He hasn’t even reached the fortified cities. They haven’t even reached Sloviansk,” the former CIA director noted.
He said that Russian troops are trying to prove the opposite by every means possible, but this does not correspond to reality.
The former CIA director also highlighted the decision by the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Mykhailo Drapaty, to regroup military units into combat groups. He said he had spoken with one of the future commanders of such groups.
“So, all right, they still have 100,000–200,000 troops. Does that guarantee any success? No,” he concluded in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Over the past 24 hours, 278 combat engagements were recorded on the front lines. Russian troops carried out the most assaults in the Pokrovsk direction—Ukrainian defenders repelled 43 enemy attacks.
As of September 16, 2026, the Ukrainian military had eliminated 1,530 Russian occupiers over the past day. The Russian Federation’s total military losses rose by another 1,530 soldiers.
Since the start of the day on September 15, there have been 219 combat engagements on the front lines. Russian troops launched the most attacks in the Pokrovsk direction—there, Ukrainian forces repelled 38 assaults.
