Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia could be planning to recruit 300,000 additional soldiers for the war after parliamentary elections in September. Zelenskyy said the process could involve what he described as an “environmental mobilization” targeting Russia’s remote regions.
Parliamentary elections in Russia are scheduled to take place from Sept. 18 to 20. Zelenskyy argued that Moscow could increase its total troop target to 500,000 by recruiting more soldiers in 2027, with recruitment potentially taking place in the country’s remote regions rather than its central cities.
Fighting in Donbas and around Kostyantynivka
Zelenskyy said Russian forces were continuing their advance to seize the remaining part of the industrialized Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Referring to fighting around the strategic city of Kostyantynivka, Zelenskyy claimed that Russia had suffered heavy troop losses in attempts to advance toward cities described as the “fortress belt” in the east.
The Ukrainian leader also assessed his country’s gains in the southeast. Zelenskyy said the amount of territory occupied by Russia and retaken by Ukrainian forces would be equal in 2026.
Missile production and air defense capacity
Zelenskyy said Russia had increased air attacks on Ukrainian cities and was aiming to develop the capacity to produce 1,300 ballistic missiles annually. The Ukrainian leader also said Ukraine had experienced a decline in access to U.S.-made Patriot interceptors.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was expected to receive 264 Patriot interceptors in 2026, down from 364 in 2025 and 675 in 2023. During the summer, Ukraine increased drone attacks on oil refineries and online retail warehouses that it said were linked to Russia’s war capacity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Ukraine had “opened Pandora’s box” by attacking economic targets. Putin said Russia would respond by targeting Ukraine’s “most sensitive economic sectors.”
Ukraine’s preparations for winter and funding gap
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was preparing for a difficult winter because of new Russian attacks on the country’s energy grid. Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s air force had requested 360 missile interceptors for the winter season and announced that Ukraine had reached an agreement with France this year on at least one SAMP/T air defense system.
Zelenskyy said an agreement had also been reached with Germany on the supply of approximately 600 PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors through 2028. He said Ukraine faced a $27 billion funding gap this year because of increased defense spending. Zelenskyy said at least $8 billion was needed to make a normal start to 2027, along with approximately $20 billion for military salaries, payments to the families of fallen soldiers and other expenses.
