Zelensky Warns of Putin’s Mobilization Plans as Panic Triggers Fresh Exodus from Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns of a post-election Russian mobilization and a fresh push in the east, while unconfirmed draft reports spark panic and a heavy exodus of Russians toward Georgia.

Mobilization and Territorial Outlook

– We are convinced that after the elections they will carry out a mobilization. We believe that it will not take place in large cities – said the President of Ukraine on Sunday.

Zelensky expects the Russians to end the year occupying the same amount of Ukrainian territory as at its beginning, despite huge human losses. – Since the beginning of the year, Russia has lost 267,000 soldiers, including 155,000 dead – the Ukrainian president emphasized.

Donbas Offensive and Strategic Defense

According to the Ukrainian president, Putin will send 300,000 newly mobilized soldiers primarily to eastern Ukraine, having ordered his generals to complete the occupation of the Donetsk Oblast by the end of the year. – The Russians are not able to finish taking the Donetsk Oblast. We will wipe them from the surface of the earth – Volodymyr Zelensky vows.

Currently, Ukrainian units are defending about 20 percent of the territory of the Donetsk Oblast, maintaining control over a strip of strategically important industrial cities such as Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.

Wartime Elections and Northern Borders

Voting during a war would tear our country apart – argues Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, criticizing the idea of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who demands parliamentary elections.

Zelensky warns of the possibility of Russian troops entering the northern Ukrainian oblasts of Kharkiv and Sumy. – There are no troops in the Russian Bryansk Oblast yet, but military equipment can be seen along the borders with the Russian Federation – Zelensky claims.

Russian Denials and Kremlin Stance

Russia denies the mobilization plans. Moscow insists it does not plan a mobilization, with Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, stating during a Friday press briefing that mass mobilization is neither needed nor planned.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked to comment on Zelensky’s statement regarding Putin’s plans for a rapid mobilization of hundreds of thousands of Russians, stated that Zelensky will not talk about Russian plans and urged people not to trust rumors.

Independent Reports on Recruitment Pressures

Preparations for mobilization are being reported by Russian independent media, including Verstka and Important Stories, based on sources from the presidential administration and the military.

A joint report published at the end of June shows that due to difficulties in recruiting contract soldiers, discussions on mobilization began behind the scenes, with low recruitment rates persisting through spring and June.

Medvedev’s Warning and Growing Emigration

There can be no forgiveness for Russians who left their homeland and condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine – said Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, during the ruling party congress.

Unofficial reports of a new draft wave were enough to trigger panic and another wave of escapes from Russia, with unprecedented traffic recorded at the Verkhny Lars border crossing between Russia and Georgia as tens of thousands fled.