Zelenskyy: Russian elections won't affect war escalation, Putin could boost mobilization after
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the parliamentary elections in Russia will not affect the further escalation of the war because their outcome is predictable; however, Vladimir Putin may resort to increasing mobilization.
The President stated at the Ukraine–South-East Europe Summit in Kyiv on Wednesday that the election results would not affect the escalation in any way because the outcome would be known before the elections even took place.
At the same time, according to him, the share of citizens in Russia who do not support the war against Ukraine is growing.
He pointed out that they knew clearly that the percentage of people who no longer supported Putin’s war had risen sharply. He added that while he did not know the actual number of people supporting Putin, the percentage of those who opposed the war and wanted it to end had increased very rapidly.
According to Zelenskyy, this trend is particularly noticeable in the Russian regions bordering Ukraine, where residents have directly felt the consequences of the war.
The President also added that after the elections, Putin could resort to new steps to increase pressure, specifically by expanding mobilization.
He explained that they understood this could mean an increase in mobilization. He noted that Putin would not be able to increase contract enlistment because that required paying large sums of money, so he might opt for expanding mobilization instead. The President remarked that they were keeping this in mind and had to prepare for such steps.
At the same time, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine had to be ready for other potential actions by Russia. He noted that Putin had other situational options and that they had to prepare for any challenges.
The parliamentary elections in Russia are scheduled for September 18-20, 2026.