Putin rejects imminent mobilisation as Russian preparedness fuels doubt

Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected speculation about an imminent mobilisation campaign, calling the rumours “complete nonsense” and an “information attack”. Speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok on 3 September, he said there was no current scenario requiring mobilisation.

Accounts reported by Deutsche Welle suggest the denials have not resolved public concern. Readers in Russia described receiving summonses to verify military records, including through the Gosuslugi government portal. Some said they feared being called up or facing restrictions on leaving the country.

Lawyer Artem Klyga told Deutsche Welle that a summons for data verification does not itself mean a person will be drafted, mobilised or deployed. He said the notices indicated that military enlistment offices had improved their registration systems, which could allow authorities to act more quickly if mobilisation were declared.

Lawyer Timofei Vaskin said advance mobilisation orders appeared to have been distributed on a much larger scale during the first half of 2026. He said the exact number was classified, while acknowledging that the assessment was based on social media reports and inquiries received by lawyers.

Deutsche Welle also identified vacancies connected with mobilisation preparedness and military registration at private companies and state institutions. It reported 40 mobilisation-preparedness vacancies in Moscow and the surrounding region and 13 in St Petersburg as of 8 August, while the independent outlet Agentstvo counted 197 such vacancies nationwide in late July.

Russia’s 2022 partial-mobilisation decree reportedly remains formally in force. Reports of forced detention and pressure on men to sign military contracts in the Penza region have also been made by local sources and journalists from the investigative outlet Important Stories, but the available evidence does not establish that a new mobilisation campaign is imminent.