Ukrainian Intelligence: Russian Generals Ask Putin for Mobilization of 800,000 Troops

Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) says Russian generals have asked Vladimir Putin to approve the mobilization of up to 800,000 servicemen. The claim, based on an HUR document, was reported by Britain's The Times, which noted that a new wave of mobilization could begin after Russia's State Duma elections in September.

According to the intelligence agency, the Russian military's actual capacity falls well short of these ambitions. "In reality, the army can simultaneously process — mobilize, equip, feed, train and integrate — a maximum of 300,000 to 500,000 recruits," the document cited by the newspaper states. It also notes that the average life expectancy of a Russian recruit after arriving at the front line in Ukraine is just 20 to 30 minutes.

Russia's Staggering Losses at the Front

The newspaper points out that, according to Western intelligence estimates, Ukraine has been inflicting severe losses on Russia in recent months, having "increased its lethality and ingenuity" while gaining deep-strike capabilities that pose serious problems for Moscow.

HUR chief Oleh Ivashchenko, citing the agency's daily reports, told the newspaper: "Russia recruits around a thousand people a day, sometimes up to 1,200. But look at the casualty figures. Yesterday there were 1,410, the day before 1,551. Of those, 835 — about 60 percent — were killed in action." He added that this 60% share has remained stable for almost a week.

The newspaper stresses that no conflict in history has seen such a ratio of killed to wounded. By comparison, during the Vietnam War, fatalities accounted for just over 16% of total US military casualties. The publication also notes that Ukrainian estimates align with calculations made by Western intelligence services.

The Kremlin Denies Mobilization Plans

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned more than a dozen times this year that Russia is preparing a new mobilization drive. The Kremlin has categorically denied these claims, calling them Ukrainian disinformation. Putin himself, his press secretary Dmitry Peskov, former president Dmitry Medvedev, and Russia's UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya have all publicly pushed back against the mobilization narrative.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz