Putin wants to draft 300,000 new troops

Ukraine thinks Russia is planning to draft an additional 300,000 troops for its war effort after Russian parliamentary elections in mid-September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Moscow’s forces are pressing ahead with an effort to capture the rest of eastern Ukraine’s industrialised Donbas region.

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In comments to reporters released yesterday, Zelenskiy said Russia could draft more troops in 2027 to reach an overall goal of 500,000, part of what he described as a “peripheral mobilisation” targeting Russia’s far-flung regions.

“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 also said it would be too dangerous for Ukraine to hold an election while it fights Russia’s invasion, after a call by his former defence minister to organise a vote.