The Kremlin on Tuesday dismissed growing speculation that President Vladimir Putin may announce another mobilization wave following next month’s parliamentary elections, calling reports about a possible new draft deliberate fabrications.
“The Ukrainian authorities are spreading all of this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the broadcaster RTVI. “Their regime is trying to destabilize our country ideologically.”
“All of this amounts to ‘information ducks’” — fabrications — “deliberately dumped into the news cycle,” he added.
Peskov, who often uses the word “duck” to describe something as being false, similarly dismissed draft rumors in September 2022, just days before Putin declared a “partial” mobilization of 300,000 reservists.
The spokesman’s remarks follow recent claims by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia is planning to mobilize an additional 300,000 troops following the State Duma and regional elections in September.
Meanwhile, Western intelligence officials cited by The Wall Street Journal said the Russian military carried out mobilization readiness exercises in the Kaliningrad region last month.
Despite official denials, military analysts point to Russia’s heavy battlefield losses and declining voluntary enlistment figures as signs that a new call-up may be unavoidable.
However, some experts also note that another mass mobilization would present serious logistical hurdles and might fail to address tactical challenges on the front line.
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