Russia Preparing Mass Mobilization for Fall, Zelensky Says

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday, Aug. 11, that Russian intelligence documents confirm the Kremlin is preparing a massive wave of mobilization for this fall, timed to follow staged parliamentary elections. Zelensky said this in a statement on Telegram, after receiving a report from Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Everything is confirmed by internal Russian documents,” Zelensky said. “They are preparing it for the fall,” he continued – right after the State Duma’s parliamentary elections – which are widely believed to be rigged. Staged vote with no real opposition “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s plan is not particularly complicated,” Zelensky said. He continued: “He wants to create the impression that Russians supposedly support the war – every party still permitted to run is, one way or another, against peace.” His remarks come as Russia prepares for elections, which are scheduled for Sept. 18-20. Putin’s United Russia party is currently facing no credible opposition after Russia’s Supreme Court barred Yabloko, the only liberal, anti-war party, from participating. The court ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by the nationalist Rodina party on Monday, Aug. 10 – a decision that drew protests from hundreds of Russian citizens outside the courthouse during the hearing. Other Topics of Interest Here Comes the Sun The remains of Ukrainian nationalist hero Col. Yevhen Konovalets are coming home from Rotterdam, where he was assassinated by Moscow in 1938. Zelensky said the vote itself is part of the mobilization strategy. According to Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, Russia is preparing to falsify voting in the occupied territories of Ukraine as well, including in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s administration has instructed occupation authorities to report turnout of more than 65% to 70% and at least 70% support for the ruling United Russia party, Kovalenko said. Hundreds of thousands to be mobilized “After the so-called elections, he [Putin] plans an additional rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year, plus just as many more next year,” Zelensky said. According to him, “this will be on top of the recruitment they [Russia] are trying to carry out through contract enlistment.” The warning aligns with concerns Ukrainian authorities have voiced throughout recent months. Russia has declared only one official mobilization during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in September 2022, a move that triggered nationwide protests, prompting thousands of Russian citizens to flee the country. As public fatigue grows and Russia’s economy continues to strain under war spending, a second, direct mobilization would carry heightened political risks for Putin. Instead, Russia has increasingly relied on fraudulent recruitment schemes to draw in foreign fighters, particularly from third countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia – all with promises of well-paid civilian jobs, such as construction work or factory labor. Additionally, Zelensky said that Russia can no longer sustain its war without North Korean support, which has become one of Russia’s most critical wartime partners, supplying troops, weapons,and manpower in exchange for financial and technological support. He warned on July 29 that Russia is preparing to receive 30,000 additional North Korean troops and more ballistic missile launchers. Moscow signed a defense pact with Pyongyang on June 19, 2024, with both countries officially recognizing North Korean troop deployments in April 2025. Ukraine vows countermeasures According to Zelensky, Ukraine is preparing to respond directly. “We are preparing our own active steps to maximally complicate Russia’s implementation of such plans,” Zelensky said, adding that he has assigned specific tasks to Ukraine’s intelligence agencies and special services. However, he did not disclose further details on what those measures would involve. A broader pattern of Russia’s suppression The move against Yabloko fits into Russia’s broader pattern of systematically suppressing progressive and liberal voices it associates with Western values. Moscow has similarly promoted residency programs for foreigners who explicitly reject Western values and progressive social norms by issuing a “traditional values” visa scheme, framing itself as a refuge for those “under pressure” in liberal democracies. Russia also continues to target its openly anti-war nationals, even those who remain in exile. Yabloko’s removal from the upcoming elections, therefore, does not come as a surprise. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.