Zelenskyy stated that Putin is planning to mobilise up to 500,000 people following the State Duma elections
In an interview with Sky News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, Vladimir Putin is not prepared to end the war and is preparing a new wave of mobilisation in Russia.
According to the head of state, the Kremlin plans to carry this out after the State Duma elections, which are due to take place on 21 September.
“Putin is not prepared to stop this war. There is intelligence suggesting that he is preparing for mobilisation. He wants to do this after the Duma elections on 21 September. He wants to step up mobilisation. He hasn’t announced it publicly because he fears his own people, but he will do so in early October unless we create problems for him with logistics, weapons, petrol and diesel, and unless our partners impose comprehensive sanctions in response to his aggression,” said Zelenskyy.
The President noted that Putin expects to mobilise between 300,000 and 500,000 people.
“This will be a major problem, because he is planning to mobilise between 300,000 and 500,000 people. For him, mobilising such a large number of people is not all that difficult. He will face domestic issues in this regard, as his society – and I have seen the polls – is opposed to mobilisation,” stated the head of state.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also emphasised that a significant proportion of the Russian population is opposed to the war, yet continues to support Vladimir Putin.
According to the president, Russia will not be able to train such a large number of conscripts quickly.
“He will not be able to train these people quickly. This, again, means that he will be sending poorly trained people onto the battlefield. And that, in turn, means heavy losses,” said Zelenskyy.
The President also stated that Ukraine has begun striking medium- and long-range targets on Russian territory in order to return the war to where it came from.
“We have tried to ensure that this challenge affects the Russians too; otherwise, they will not feel that the war is being waged everywhere. That is precisely why we have begun doing everything we can to respond and return this war to Russia, from where it came to us. That is precisely why we have launched strikes on medium-range and deep-seated targets, specifically to respond,” said the head of state.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin will only cease hostilities if he is defeated.
