Putin Wants to Draft 300K New Troops, Zelensky Says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claims Russia is planning to mobilize an additional 300,000 troops by late 2027 to bolster its war effort. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to face critical shortages of Western-supplied air defense interceptors.
Why it matters
The potential for large-scale Russian mobilization and the depletion of Ukrainian air defenses suggest a prolonged and intensifying conflict in Eastern Europe.
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 industrialized Donbas region, where its troops have ground forward at what Kyiv says is a great cost.
In comments to reporters released on Sunday, Zelensky said Russia could draft more troops in 2027 to reach an overall goal of 500,000, part of what he described as a "peripheral mobilization" 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."
Parliamentary elections in Russia are set for Sept. 18-20.
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