Russia could launch new mobilization this year, Ukrainian official says
Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine (photo: RBC-Ukraine)
Russia faces no technical obstacles to carrying out a new mobilization this year, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Budanov believes there are no technical reasons that would prevent Russia from carrying out a mobilization similar to the one conducted in 2022, when it announced a partial mobilization.
He said Russia mobilized about 450,000 people during that campaign and remains technically capable of repeating an effort on a similar scale. According to Budanov, Moscow has so far avoided doing so, but could resort to another mobilization if it concludes there is no alternative.
Russia is set to hold the State Duma elections in September. Asked whether they could influence the timing of a possible mobilization, Budanov said the issue was open to debate and pointed to Russia's 2024 elections as evidence that military developments did not prevent the authorities from proceeding with the vote.
He recalled that the operation in Russia's Belgorod region was at its height at the time, yet, as he put it:
"They'll produce whatever results they need."
Budanov added that Russia would therefore face no problems holding elections even if it decided to mobilize.
At the same time, he believes public dissatisfaction in Russia has not yet reached a level that could trigger mass action against the authorities. As he put it:
"Popular discontent inside Russia, in his assessment, remains far short of the threshold that might translate into unrest."
Russians' trust in Russian leader Vladimir Putin is falling at a record pace. At the same time, nearly 70% of Russians approve of his performance.
According to Budanov, the question of Putin's future will ultimately have to be resolved by the Russian elites.
