Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Russia is preparing to recruit 300,000 new soldiers following parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18-20. The announcement comes as Moscow intensifies efforts to bolster its military amid ongoing operations in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Zelenskiy stated that Kyiv assesses Russia’s mobilization drive could reach a total of 500,000 troops by 2027 under a broader peripheral mobilization strategy. He added that Ukrainian intelligence believes the scale of recruitment cannot be fully concealed, despite Kremlin denials.
Russian forces have recently advanced in the industrialized Donbas, while clashes continue around the strategic city of Kostiantynivka. The military developments follow a recent escalation in drone and air campaigns, with Ukraine targeting Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs, and Russia retaliating with intensified strikes on Ukrainian urban centers.
The Ukrainian president also warned that Russia may respond to such attacks by targeting Ukraine’s most sensitive economic sectors. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv of opening a "Pandora’s box" by striking Russian economic infrastructure, signaling potential further retaliation.
On the military aid front, Zelenskiy noted that Ukraine received 364 US-made Patriot intercept missiles in 2025 and expects an additional 264 in 2026, following 675 deliveries in 2023. The ongoing shortage of air defense systems has coincided with Russia’s increased aerial campaign against Ukrainian cities.
Russia has separately outlined plans to expand domestic missile production capacity to 1,300 ballistic missiles per year, according to recent statements.
