Russia Weighs Drafting Up to 500,000 Troops After September Vote

3 articles · Updated · Newsweek · Jul 29

300,000 to 500,000 additional troops could be called up after Russia’s September parliamentary elections, according to Zelensky and opposition outlet Verstka, which said the Kremlin is examining a new draft and even martial law.
225,500 Russian losses this year alone — including 131,000 killed, by Zelensky’s count — are driving pressure to replenish forces and create new formations for a longer war of attrition.
2025 legal and administrative changes have made mobilization easier: Russia shifted conscription to a year-round cycle, digitized draft records, and on July 26 expanded state access to military personnel and family data.
200,000 volunteers signed contracts in the first half of 2026, Medvedev said in denying any imminent mobilization, but analysts say volunteers alone are unlikely to generate the large strike force Russia would need.
500,000 more troops could help Moscow sustain pressure in Donetsk and absorb losses, analysts say, yet equipment shortages, weak training and declining force quality would still limit any decisive breakthrough.