Most of the occupying force now consists of contract soldiers and those mobilised through conscription. Covert mobilisation is already under way and now, after the State Duma elections, the scale of the enemy’s manpower recruitment will increase.
Forced “packing” of untrained manpower will begin. A significant increase in the number of occupiers at the front is expected as early as October, the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert (Madyar) Brovdi, said in an interview with The Telegraph.
“About 300,000 personnel by the end of the year. October, November, December. These are the forces that Putin can muster for mobilisation, equipping and sending to the front without training. And that means there will be more killed, there will be more work,” he said.
An increase in the number of Russian military is a challenge, but the Defence Forces’ preparations continue and they will meet the Russians properly.
Madyar noted that the increase in the Russia’s manpower began as early as September. In the first half of September compared with August, the number of Russians killed rose by 25%.
“So covert mobilisation is already happening now,” he explained.
- During the full-scale war, Russia has declared open mobilisation only once — in autumn 2022. At the time, it planned to recruit 300,000 reservists. In practice, the mobilisation was never formally cancelled, and the enemy continued replenishing the army throughout.
- This summer, Ukrainian intelligence warned that after the State Duma elections Russia would announce a new mobilisation. The President said that depending on the situation on the battlefield, the Russians would build up forces either to seize Donetsk Region or for a new offensive in northern Ukraine.