Russia's military leadership has reportedly decided to mobilize an additional 600,000 troops this year and next, with Ukraine citing intelligence suggesting that 300,000 will be called up this year and another 300,000 in 2027. According to Ukrainian estimates, Russia has lost over 1.4 million soldiers since February 2022, with around 240,000 killed or wounded in the first half of 2026 alone. The decision is driven by a collapse in voluntary recruitment, with numbers down 30-40% in several regions and only 57-69% of monthly targets met in some areas. Ukrainian intelligence also suggests that Russia is expanding eligibility for military service to include those with unexpunged convictions under certain articles of the criminal code.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-28,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Ukrainian intelligence said Moscow has already decided to call up 300,000 this year and 300,000 in 2027, driven by massive losses and a collapse in voluntary recruitment.
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Moscow → say → recruitment
Kyiv expects the announcement to come after September's elections.
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announcement → expect → elections
Russia is preparing to mobilise 600,000 additional soldiers over 2026 and 2027, Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate and Foreign Intelligence Service said, as mounting losses at the front and a collapse in voluntary recruitment push Moscow toward a second formal wave of conscription.
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losses → prepare → conscription
Ukrainian intelligence said Russia planned to call up 300,000 this year and another 300,000 in 2027, and that the Russian leadership had already made the decision.
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leadership → say → decision
Kyiv said the trigger was a combination of heavy battlefield losses, a loss of military initiative and a sharp fall in voluntary contract signings in its ongoing all-out war against Ukraine.
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trigger → say → Ukraine
Ukraine's General Staff said total Russian losses since the February 2022 full-scale invasion had exceeded 1.4 million killed and wounded.
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losses → say → million
In the first half of 2026 alone, Ukrainian intelligence estimated Russia lost around 240,000 troops, of whom 140,000 were killed or severely wounded.
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140,000 → estimate → whom
In the same period, 232,000 people signed contracts with the Russian armed forces.
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people → sign → forces
CIA director John Ratcliffe said in July that the average Russian recruit was killed or wounded on the battlefield within 20 to 30 minutes of arrival at the front.
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recruit → say → front
The recruitment pool has narrowed sharply.
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pool → narrow → ?
Compared with 2025, the number of debtors, prisoners, migrants and others who had formed the main pool of voluntary recruits had fallen by 30 to 40% across several Russian regions, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
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who → compare → intelligence
In Kurgan region, monthly recruitment targets have been met at 57 to 69% of the goal since the start of the year.
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targets → meet → year
In Volgograd region, the number of potential recruits had fallen 40% year on year.
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number → fall → year
Efforts to recruit students into the armed forces had also failed.
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Efforts → recruit → forces
Internal Russian documents, cited by Ukrainian intelligence, justified the need for new mobilisation by pointing to rising public dissatisfaction with the war — reaching as high as 69% in some regions — and the resulting decline in voluntary enlistment.
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documents → cite → enlistment
To prepare the legal ground, Russia has expanded eligibility for military recruitment.
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Russia → prepare → recruitment
People with unexpunged criminal convictions under 11 additional articles of the criminal code can now be called up, including those convicted of smuggling weapons, drugs or radioactive substances, banditry and organising illegal migration.
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People → call → migration
Russian authorities are also reportedly considering recruiting certain categories of convicted women.
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authorities → consider → women
An electronic summons system is already operational: once a citizen is entered in the registry they are barred from leaving the country, taking out loans, buying or selling property, using a driving licence or registering as a self-employed entrepreneur.
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they → enter → entrepreneur
As of late July, more than 2,500 new vacancies related to mobilisation activities had been posted on Russian employment platforms, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
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vacancies → relate → intelligence
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects the decision to be announced after Russian State Duma elections scheduled for 18-20 September.
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decision → say → September
Then come the 'elections' in Russia.
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elections → come → Russia
We are certain that after the 'elections' they will have a mobilisation.
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they → have → mobilisation
We believe it will not take place in the central cities.
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it → believe → cities
But I don't think they will be able to hide it particularly well," he said last week.
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he → think → it
Zelenskyy described the approach as a "peripheral mobilisation" targeted primarily at Russia's regions rather than Moscow and other major cities.
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Zelenskyy → describe → Moscow
Russia announced "partial" mobilisation on 21 September 2022.
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Russia → announce → September
No official decree ending it has ever been issued, meaning the legal framework for conscription has technically remained in place for four years.
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framework → end → years
