This August, Russia lost 43,000 soldiers in the war, while recruiting only 39,000 into the ranks of the occupying army.
This was reported by Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (HUR) at a meeting of the Ukraine–NATO Interparliamentary Council, according to the intelligence service’s press office.
According to Skibitskyi, Russia’s General Staff believes that without stepping up mobilisation, the Russian Federation will not be able to achieve its goals. In 2026 and 2027, Russia intends to mobilise around 600,000 people into the army, half of them by the end of this year.
Russia is also increasing the intensity of missile-and-drone strikes on Ukraine in order to provoke a socio-economic crisis. To that end, Moscow is seeking to ramp up production of ballistic missiles and extend the range of these weapons, the deputy head of intelligence added.
“According to our assessments, by the end of this year Russia plans to conduct final tests of a new type of ballistic missile with a range of up to 800 kilometres,” Skibitskyi said, adding that during ballistic missile tests the Russians may try to strike targets in western Ukraine.
Russia’s aggressive plans also include a blockade of the Black Sea and attempts to draw Belarus into the war against Ukraine and into hybrid operations against NATO.