The Russian leadership has decided on a new wave of mobilization from January 5, 2023 due to a lack of manpower, Head of the Main Intelligence Agency Kyrylo Budanov in an interview with the BBC.

"The Russians have huge problems with the recruitment of troops due to the fact that they take part in hostilities in which they suffer significant losses. So it is with the formation of new units. In fact, they lack manpower. Based on this, they considered and adopted the decision to start another wave of mobilization from January 5... And this is considering the fact that the previous wave has not ended, and as of now they continue to mobilize for the war in Ukraine," Budanov said.

According to him, the quality of the new mobilized in terms of military training remains low, there are no changes in this. "The only change is the adaptation of the Russian military commissariat system to this process. The new wave can pass easier, more organized," Budanov said.