Vladimir Putin orders border closures as Russia readies new mass mobilization

President Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of railway checkpoints on Russia's borders with Finland, Estonia and Latvia, halting traffic at several crossing points. The Kremlin said the order restricts the movement of people, vehicles, goods and cargo, and coincided with preparations to call up hundreds of thousands of additional conscripts for the war in Ukraine.

Analysts note that Russia is confronting a sharp decline in volunteers and heavy front‑line losses, prompting officials to consider a new general mobilisation after the September State Duma elections. Recruitment efforts now rely on higher enlistment bonuses, foreign volunteers and, increasingly, prisoners and migrant workers. Soldiers on the ground report a rapid deterioration in the quality of new recruits and shortages of ammunition, drones and even food meant for livestock, underscoring the strain on Russia's armed forces.