Putin weighs mass mobilization as Russia faces setbacks in Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly considering a large‑scale mobilization to reinforce his army after a series of setbacks on the Ukraine front. Ukrainian drone attacks have disrupted Russian logistics, blocked Crimea, and triggered fuel shortages across Russia, while frontline losses have strained Russian volunteer recruitment.

Putin made a rare battlefield visit in fatigues, urging commanders to seize more Ukrainian territory and declaring that any Ukrainian strikes on Russian civilian infrastructure would be answered by taking “historically Russian land.” He dismissed Ukrainian gains as “imaginary achievements,” while warning of expanding a “security zone” in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. The possible mobilization follows the unpopular 2022 draft that saw mass departures of military‑age men.

The Kremlin’s strategy aims to maintain a manpower advantage and counter growing war‑weariness at home, even as it faces economic strain and intensified Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and a major drone attack on Moscow.