Zelensky warns Russia to mobilize 300,000 troops after elections

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Sunday that Russia is preparing a major new wave of military mobilization, expected to draft at least 300,000 additional troops following parliamentary elections in mid-September. The announcement comes as Russian forces continue their costly offensive in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, with Zelensky claiming Moscow is losing a maximum amount of troops in its bid to capture the remaining parts of Donetsk.

In comments to reporters released on August 23, Zelensky stated that Russia's mobilization would likely be a peripheral effort targeting the country's far-flung regions rather than major population centers. "We believe it will not take place in the central cities," he said. "But I don't think they will be able to hide it very well." He indicated that Russia could aim to draft a total of 500,000 troops in 2027, with the initial 300,000 to be deployed based on the situation in eastern Ukraine. Zelensky asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had instructed his military leadership to complete the occupation of Donetsk by the end of the year, a goal he dismissed as impossible. "They'll lose all 300,000 of these newly...