Russian authorities are reportedly preparing to "expand mobilization" in autumn 2026, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who cited intelligence services. Zelenskyy stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is concealing his intentions but is making preparations to recruit additional soldiers for the ongoing war against Ukraine.

"It is important that we, together with our partners, exert sufficient pressure on Russia so that the idea of ending this aggression — the idea of peace, rather than further Russian mobilization — prevails," Zelenskyy added.

The Ukrainian president also noted that Russia's army is losing more fighters at the front than it can recruit, despite Putin's desire to intensify attacks and expand the war.

Putin issued a decree in autumn 2022 launching a "partial mobilization," which remains in effect as confirmed by the presidential administration in 2023. The decree "regulates additional measures necessary to ensure that the armed forces fulfill their objectives."

Independent Russian exile media outlet Verstka cited figures from Moscow's mayoral office showing that the city sent 1,708 people to the front in April 2026 and 1,378 in May 2026 — approximately 1,000 fewer than during the same period in the previous year. Latvia-based Russian-language news portal Vaschnyje Istorii reported that the recruitment rate for soldiers serving on fixed-term contracts more than halved in the last quarter of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.

Additionally, reports indicate that many Russians are planning to leave the country ahead of the State Duma election scheduled for September 18 to 20, 2026.

Sources