Russian President Vladimir Putin is denying reports that there will be a mass mobilization of troops to replenish manpower on the front lines of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed for weeks that the Kremlin “plans an additional rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year, plus just as many more next year,” bringing a massive wave of personnel into the conflict. Putin addressed these claims for the first time on Wednesday, dismissing the idea as false.
“It’s complete nonsense,” the Russian president said. “It’s an information attack on Russia.”
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya rejected the idea of a mass mobilization last month, but this is the first time Putin has spoken about the reports.
The Kremlin has previously made promises not to escalate conscriptions that were ultimately walked back.
In September 2022, he dismissed reports that there would be a mass mobilization of Russian reservists to participate in the invasion. Just days later, he flipped on the issue and approximately 300,000 soldiers were called up for deployment.
Putin also took the opportunity to respond to Zelensky’s warning to Western allies this week that Russian airspace is becoming a no-go zone due to threats posed by the proliferation of combat drones.
The Ukrainian president urged international airlines and civilian aircraft not to enter Russian airspace for the remainder of the conflict, citing high risk of accidents due to the massive number of drones flying in the border region between the countries.
“We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses Russia’s key airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe. Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation as such — not a single civilian aircraft,” Zelensky explained. “There will simply be drones in Russia’s skies on a scale that has to be taken into account.”
Putin on Wednesday characterized Zelensky’s statement as a veiled threat and claimed such rhetoric was undermining the possibility of peace negotiations.
“If this has been voiced, it amounts to nothing less than a call for state terrorism,” the Russian president said. “I’d point out that they’re the ones asking us to resume talks, asking for face-to-face meetings. You don’t negotiate with terrorists.”
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Russia launched more than 200 drones and a lethal combination of “anti-radar, ballistic, and cruise missiles” on Kyiv this week. The assault began around 6 p.m. local time and targeted Ukraine’s Kyiv and Odesa regions.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin of Moscow claimed Wednesday that approximately 9,000 Ukrainian drones have been launched toward the capital city.