Russian parliament says there will be no mobilisation — just as it did in 2022
Photo: Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Russian State Duma's Defense Committee (Russian media)
State Duma dismisses mobilisation reports
Russia has no need to launch a new wave of mobilisation, Kartapolov claimed.
According to him, rumours about such plans are baseless and are allegedly being spread by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"I heard that Zelenskyy said something about it," Kartapolov said, dismissing the Ukrainian leader's remarks as "an unlimited flight of fancy."
Kartapolov insisted that the main source of manpower for Russia's war effort remains volunteers signing contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry.
He also claimed that the more strikes Ukraine carries out against civilian targets, the more Russians will be willing to enlist.
What Russian officials are saying
On 24 July, State Duma Defense Committee member Andrey Kolesnik said that a new mass compulsory mobilisation campaign was "not being discussed" and argued that the ranks of contract soldiers continue to grow.
Kartapolov is known for denying that mobilisation was planned just one day before Russia announced it on 21 September 2022. At the time, he described public concerns about mobilisation as "unfounded."
Russian authorities also denied preparations for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine until the very last moment, dismissing warnings from Western intelligence agencies as "fabrications" and "panic-mongering."
Russian officials publicly insisted that troops massed near Ukraine's borders were taking part in military exercises and that no aggression was being planned.
However, on 24 February 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy warns of new Russian mobilisation
On 26 July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to launch a new mobilisation campaign this autumn.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia's Defense Ministry recruited 221,000 contract soldiers in the first half of 2026. However, that was not enough to offset battlefield losses, which he said reached 225,500 troops over the same period, including 131,000 killed.
As a result, Putin is expected to announce a new mobilisation drive after the State Duma elections on 20 September, with between 300,000 and 500,000 people potentially being sent to the front, Zelenskyy said.
Earlier, it emerged that updated civil defence regulations issued by Russia's National Guard for the first time include provisions related to protection against "threats during mobilisation, martial law and wartime."
Zelenskyy said these measures indicate that Putin is laying the groundwork for an expanded mobilisation effort in Russia. He also claimed that Moscow intends to secure additional troops from North Korea.
