Zelensky warns Putin could mobilise 500,000 more troops for Ukraine war
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to mobilise up to 500,000 additional fighters in the coming weeks as Moscow seeks to intensify the war in Ukraine.
Citing Ukrainian intelligence, Zelensky said Putin could begin the mobilisation after Russia's parliamentary elections on September 21. In a July 27 post on X, he said Putin was not ready to end the war and was preparing to increase mobilisation without announcing it openly because of concerns about public reaction.
Zelensky also warned that Russia would struggle to train such a large number of recruits quickly, potentially sending poorly trained personnel to the battlefield and suffering heavy losses.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that the prolonged conflict could create a situation in which Putin considers using nuclear weapons. Fidan described nuclear capabilities as Russia's "last resort" and said the issue had been discussed with Western partners.
The warnings come as Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range attacks. The United Nations has reported a significant increase in such attacks this year, contributing to a rise in civilian deaths.
A Ukrainian drone strike in Russia's Tatarstan region killed at least 13 people on Monday, in one of the deadliest Ukrainian attacks inside Russia since the war began more than four years ago.
Russia also carried out deadly attacks in Ukraine. A Russian artillery strike near the front line killed five people in a village in the northeastern Kharkiv region, according to Ukrainian officials.
Russia's Defence Ministry said it had shot down 456 Ukrainian drones overnight, without saying how many drones reached their targets. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 126 drones in its overnight attack.