Russia has no present need to mobilise more men for its Ukraine offensive, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, describing speculation about another military call-up as Ukrainian “disinformation”
Putin last ordered a “partial mobilisation” of reservists in 2022, following a string of military setbacks on the battlefield in Ukraine
That order, which the Kremlin said applied to 300,000 people only out of population of around 140 million, was highly unpopular and prompted an exodus of draft-age men from Russia
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied plans for another call-up
“There is no scenario today that would require mobilisation,” Putin told a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok
“This is a disinformation campaign by the enemy in the run-up to the State Duma elections, aimed at influencing the outcome,” he said, referring to Russian parliamentary elections later this month
“As is well known, our people enlist voluntarily and sign a contract,” he said
Kyiv did not immediately respond to Putin’s comments
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in July that Moscow was preparing for a “new wave of mobilisation in the autumn”, having suffered heavy losses on the front
Russia’s battlefield advances have slowed considerably this year, as widespread drone use on the front has made swift, large-scale troop movements more difficult
The Institute for the Study of War — a US-based think tank — said in July that Moscow appeared to be setting the “conditions” for another round of mobilisation, citing recently-passed legislation allowing the army to recruit more types of convicts in wartime
Mobilisation remains a “very personal decision for Putin and is ultimately contingent on Putin’s personal perception of the battlefield situation and the Kremlin’s stability,” it said
Both sides have suffered huge military casualties in the conflict