Main points
- Russia may announce mass mobilization in the occupied territories from mid-April.
- Volodymyr Solovyov states the reluctance of Ukrainians who moved to Russia to fight for the “Russian world”, which may be a preparation for mobilization in Russia.
Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov stated that Ukrainians who moved to Russia do not want to fight for the “Russian world.” Thus, Russian society is being prepared for mass mobilization, which could start as early as mid-April in the occupied territories.
The head of the Center for the Study of Occupation, Petro Andryuschenko, explained to Channel 24 that they are doing this in order to encourage similar mobilization in the internal regions of Russia.
What is behind Solovyov's statements about Ukrainians in Russia?
According to the expert, Solovyov was “activated” by the attacks on the Leningrad region, which have been going on for four days and are depriving Russians of optimism.
Solovyov's figures about 3-5 million Ukrainians who moved to Russia are exaggerated by at least five times. If we talk about the occupied territories, but without Crimea, then about 5 million people remain there. But those who left for Russia are much smaller. If people who supposedly supported the “Russian world”, having got into it, are not ready to fight for it either politically or militarily, then the problem is not in the people,
– Andryuschenko explained.
The experience of Mariupol confirms this discrepancy – in 2014-2015, many people moved to Russia, but in 2016 they began to return. Of those who returned after 2022, at least 50% did not remain under occupation.
According to intelligence information, from mid-April, mass mobilization is expected in the occupied territories of the Donetsk region, as it was before the full-scale invasion, without any exceptions or postponements.
“The logic is this: if they mobilized in Donetsk, they will also mobilize in Voronezh. Therefore, this is a completely logical step to prepare the population for mass mobilization. In the future, we will hear such statements more often,” Andryuschenko said.
Pay attention! Military expert Pavlo Narozhnyi believes that Russia's available human resources will not be enough to attack in many areas of the front. The enemy will continue to press where it tried to push through Ukrainian defenses. Therefore, this year Moscow plans to recruit more than 400,000 contract soldiers to the army.
What else is known about mobilization in Russia?
-
Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia does not need to announce a new wave of mobilization, because there are supposedly enough contract soldiers fighting in the war. According to him, more than 80,000 Russians have signed contracts since the beginning of 2026.
-
At the same time, Russian security forces have intensified their raids on men in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, forcing them to sign contracts. They are detaining people in their apartments, at work, and even in cafes.
-
The Russians plan to transfer mobilized troops from Crimea to the front line to compensate for losses.