Ukraine’s Presidential Office says it cannot rule out the possibility that Russian leader Vladimir Putin could announce a nationwide mobilization campaign following upcoming State Duma elections, as Moscow struggles with mounting battlefield losses and recruitment shortfalls.
Brigadier General Pavlo Palisa, deputy head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, made the remarks in an interview with Ukrainian broadcaster “24 Kanal.”
Asked whether the Kremlin could move toward full-scale mobilization after the vote, Palisa said such a scenario remains possible.
“Quite possibly. We do not exclude such a development,” he said.
Palisa added that Kyiv is already considering how to respond if Moscow escalates its mobilization efforts.
“We do not rule out such a possibility and will react accordingly,” he said, without elaborating on potential countermeasures.
Russia has increasingly relied on what Ukrainian officials describe as “hidden mobilization” measures as the war drags on into its fourth year.
Western and Ukrainian intelligence assessments have repeatedly pointed to severe Russian personnel losses and difficulties sustaining troop numbers through voluntary recruitment alone.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, regional and municipal authorities across Russia have received instructions to compile so-called “volunteer” lists for deployment to the war in Ukraine, amid growing pressure on local governments to meet recruitment quotas.
The Kremlin has so far avoided announcing a new large-scale mobilization wave similar to the partial draft launched in September 2022, which triggered public protests and prompted hundreds of thousands of Russians to flee the country.
On April 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence had obtained internal Russian military documents showing that Russia’s General Staff believes it is failing to meet goals set by the Kremlin.
After a briefing from Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces are causing major losses to Russian troops, damaging Moscow’s ability to continue large offensive operations.
Despite the losses, Zelensky said Russia’s leadership is still planning new offensives and looking for more soldiers, including through wider mobilization inside Russia.
“Ukraine’s task is to increase Russian losses even more,” Zelensky said.
He added that Ukraine plans to increase drone operations along the front line and continue pushing sanctions against Russia’s weapons and oil industries.