Kremlin officials fear new mobilization wave, move their families out of Russia
Russian officials fear mobilization and are moving their families abroad (photo: Getty Images)
Russian officials are worried about a potential new mobilization and are moving assets out of the country. They are also encouraging their relatives to leave Russia, Bloomberg reports.
Russian elites fear mobilization
Russians are increasingly concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could soon announce a large-scale new mobilization. This could happen after the parliamentary elections taking place this weekend.
The fear is also spreading among Kremlin officials and recruitment center staff.
In recent months, they have sought to open accounts at foreign banks and move assets abroad. At the same time, they are encouraging friends and relatives to leave Russia, according to documents Bloomberg News reviewed.
Although Putin has denied planning a mobilization, a European security official said Russia is preparing to draft another 300,000 men by the end of the year.
This time, there may be no official announcement. The Kremlin has quietly built digital infrastructure for calling people up for military service while also closing potential escape routes.
Preparing for mobilization in Russia
The Kremlin will likely focus its mobilization efforts on regions that show the strongest support for Putin in elections, according to Ekaterina Shulmann, a political scientist at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin.
European officials say Putin has not yet made a final decision on mobilization.
The 2022 mobilization relied on paper notices being delivered to conscripts. Now, however, Russia's digital Unified Military Register is automatically linked to:
- Tax authorities
- Police databases
- Medical records
- Property registries
- Border control systems.
Under the updated rules, an electronic draft notice is legally considered delivered seven days after it is posted on the online portal, regardless of whether the recipient opens it.
An automatic travel ban takes effect at border checkpoints immediately after the notice is posted, preventing people from leaving Russia.
For those who fail to report to a recruitment center within 20 days, automatic penalties will block access to government services, including:
- Vehicle registration
- Real estate transactions
- Access to credit
- Self-employed business status.
As previously reported, despite Russia's advantage in manpower and economic resources, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is unlikely to achieve his military objectives even with a new mobilization, according to former US Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus.
In addition, the rate of contract recruitment for the Russian military in 2026 continues to decline despite increased one-time payments for signing a contract.
