[66] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in an interview with Western media that Russia may resume mobilization this fall after the State Duma elections. The Russian Security Council says there is no need for it, as the army continues to be staffed with contract soldiers and volunteers.
Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev stated that Russia is not planning a new wave of mobilization. He made this statement at a meeting of the Security Council's interdepartmental commission on the staffing of the Armed Forces.
"The enemy's attempts to spread nonsense about the country preparing for mobilization are nothing more than a false provocation. This is part of the propaganda ahead of the elections. They are naturally trying to destabilize the situation," Dmitry Medvedev stated.
Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Urals Federal District Artem Zhoga said that statements about an alleged mobilization being prepared are untrue.
"There are plenty of patriots in our country who volunteer to serve in special military operations zones," Zhoga added.
According to him, residents of the district made a "significant contribution" to these figures.
The State Duma also stated that no new mobilization is planned. Defense Committee member Andrei Kolesnik noted that there is no need for it due to the ongoing recruitment of contract soldiers.
"There is no talk of any new wave of mobilization; I have never heard of it," said Andrei Kolesnik.
According to him, the laws being passed expanding the list of prisoners eligible to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense are not related to the proposed mobilization. The State Duma recently authorized those convicted of banditry, cash and drug smuggling, and participation in a criminal organization to serve in the Special Military District.
State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Andrei Kartapolov also stated that the Russian army continues to be staffed on a voluntary basis.
"I don't think anything of these rumors. I heard Zelenskyy say something about it, but I can only attribute that to him probably overdoing it over the weekend. The main way to recruit for the Russian Armed Forces is voluntarily, when people come to military recruitment offices and sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense," said Andrei Kartapolov.
Military observer Valery Shiryaev offers a similar assessment. He believes there are currently no preconditions for a new mobilization, as the flow of those seeking contracts remains steady.
"I don't expect it [mobilization] yet. The latest figures coming from the West, which assess the number of people signing up for contracts based on state budget expenditures on payments, indicate that nothing has changed," Shiryaev said in an interview with RTVI.
According to him, the Russian army is advancing along the front and waging a "war of attrition." Ukraine is experiencing a "mobilization disaster—two million people have failed to report for military service." In Russia, the mobilization resource is "immeasurably greater," Shiryaev stated.
In Russia, in the first six months of 2026, approximately 200,000 people signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense, and over 16,000 more volunteered for special operations. Around 40,000 people joined the unmanned forces.
The last time partial mobilization was announced in Russia was in September 2022. In late October, then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported the completion of mobilization measures, during which 300,000 men were called up. However, President Vladimir Putin did not sign a decree concluding the process.
Since then, the authorities have repeatedly stated that the army is being replenished with contract soldiers and volunteers, so there is no need to conduct a new mobilization.