Zelensky Alleges Russia's New Mobilization Plan Amidst Kremlin Denials

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday that Russia plans to mobilize an additional 330,000 soldiers in June. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Andrey Kartapolov have already responded to these claims.

It is important to note that on March 31, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree for the spring draft, aiming to enlist 165,000 individuals aged 18 to 30 into the Russian military.

Independent media have highlighted that Putin had postponed the announcement of the mobilization due to pseudo-elections held in the Russian Federation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Zelensky's claim about the planned additional mobilization in the Russian Federation as "false", in a conversation with the TASS agency.

Earlier, State Duma Defense Committee head Andrey Kartapolov mocked Zelensky's reports. "Cocaine is a terrible force. Zelensky clearly has problems with perceiving reality," Kartapolov remarked.

On March 22, the Russian independent service Wiorstka reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense is preparing for a massive draft and a secret mobilization to encircle and capture Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. The report stated, "To besiege the city, military personnel currently guarding the border near Belgorod and Kursk will be deployed. Draftees and reservists will replace them. Approximately 330,000 people are to be mobilized into the army soon," coinciding with Zelensky's statement and referring to the spring draft as "mobilization 2.0".

The Kremlin has consistently denied intentions to mobilize, often misleading the public to avoid widespread protests and the exodus of draft-eligible men.

"Even the 87 percent of the votes Vladimir Putin won in the recent 'elections' do not grant the authorities the freedom to conduct such an unpopular move as an official mobilization," political analyst Ilya Graschenkov commented, raising questions about how the Kremlin will recruit individuals for the war effort. According to Graschenkov, the government may opt for a "soft mobilization," targeting draftees, military college students, and specialists for exercises.

The 2022 mobilization saw many men fleeing the country, hiding, or attempting to sue draft boards.