Ukrainian President warns that Moscow plans a new mass mobilization right after the parliamentary elections in the fall, citing internal Russian documents and intelligence data from the GUR.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, that Russia is preparing an additional mobilization of several hundred thousand people. According to him, the operation is planned immediately after the "imitation of parliamentary elections" scheduled for the fall, and the information has been confirmed by internal Russian documents obtained by Ukrainian intelligence.
"There was a report from the GUR MO, Oleh Ivashchenko, about the preparation of Russian mobilization. Everything is confirmed by internal Russian documents, they are preparing it for the fall, right after the imitation of parliamentary elections," Zelensky said in his address. He added that Putin's plan is not complex: he wants to show that Russians support the war through the parties that are currently allowed, all of which are, in one way or another, against peace.
According to the data presented in the address, Russia plans to mobilize several hundred thousand people by the end of 2026, and as many more during 2027. These figures come in addition to the regular contract recruitment that the Kremlin is already conducting. Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine has already defined tasks for its intelligence and special services to make the implementation of these plans as difficult as possible.
Interestingly, sources differ on the exact number of planned mobilized personnel. The Telegram channel MilInfoLive, citing Zelensky, mentions a figure of 100,000 people, while most other sources, including Ukrainska Pravda and UNIAN, speak of several hundred thousand. Zelensky has previously predicted a new mobilization in Russia, first on January 3, 2023, then on April 3, 2024.
According to information reported by UNIAN, the Russian military in Ukraine is currently losing an average of 30,000 soldiers per month, with as many as 60% being fatalities. These enormous losses are likely the key reason why Moscow is planning a new wave of mobilization, despite attempts to fill the ranks through contract recruitment.
In a separate Twitter post on August 10, Zelensky also shared data on sentiment within Russia. "We have Russian internal polling data showing that the number of people who want this war to end is already growing," the Ukrainian president wrote. "This must become even more obvious. So that Putin, his administration, his FSB helpers, and everyone else understand equally well: peace is the only option."
A day earlier, on August 10, Zelensky also stated that Russia had received additional ballistic missiles from North Korea (DPRK) and plans to deploy an additional contingent on its territory, suggesting that Moscow is preparing for a prolonged conflict despite growing fatigue among its own population.
Although the news has no direct Croatian component, the planned escalation of Russian military capabilities carries serious security implications for the whole of Europe. An additional several hundred thousand mobilized soldiers could prolong the war in Ukraine and further destabilize NATO's eastern flank, of which Croatia is a member.
