August 07, 2026

Mobilization Rumors Spread


Mobilization Rumors Spread
Do you really want this? The RussianLife files.

Rumors of a new Russian mobilization abound.

On July 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, citing intelligence reports, wrote that Russia was preparing for a new mobilization. Russian officials immediately responded with a wide range of arguments discrediting his remarks – for example, lawmaker Andrei Kartapolov suggested that Zelensky “took too much” over the weekend.

Shortly thereafter, as Lenta.ru reported, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, chaired a meeting of the council’s commission during which he raised the issue of mobilization. The former president did not mince words: “The enemy’s attempts to spread all sorts of nonsense about a mobilization being prepared in the country are nothing more than a deceitful provocation,” he said.

But the more the pro-government media quote such statements, the less convincing they seem. After all, in 2022, Putin also said he had no intention of carrying out a mobilization, then announced one a few months later. Often, when Russian authorities claim something is not going to happen, it’s a sure sign to prepare for major changes. 

Expert opinions are divided.

Some believe that the Russian authorities are indeed considering the possibility of a new wave of mobilization immediately after the upcoming State Duma elections in September. Others are convinced that there are no rational grounds for a mobilization in 2026. “If we recall the first mobilization, it was triggered by developments along the front line in the Kharkiv region, where the Russian army began to retreat and abandon equipment,” said founder of the Conflict Intelligence Team Ruslan Leviev, “There is nothing like that happening now.” Leviev said he believes that the main events will continue to unfold as part of a “war of cities,” which is being waged from the air using long-range drones. Under these circumstances, the potential benefits of mobilization are not worth the negative consequences in the form of public discontent.

But, over the course of the war, Russians have come to accept that logical reasoning does not help in understanding the government’s strategy; after all, the invasion of Ukraine itself was not a rational move. In that context, there is no clarity regarding mobilization, and rumors are fueling anxiety and prompting those still in Russia to consider emigration. As reported by the publication Verstka, Armenia has already seen a sharp increase in housing queries from Russians who have begun looking for apartments for the fall.

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