Russia Has Been Filling Its Ranks With Sign-Up Bonuses Worth Nearly a Decade of Average Pay, and by Emptying Its Prisons

Russian President Vladimir Putin could be preparing to mobilize an additional 500,000 troops, according to comments from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president cited a range, explaining that the latest round of Russian mobilization would number somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000, citing Ukrainian intelligence reports. Zelensky and Ukrainian intelligence believe Putin will wait until after the election results are announced to announce the latest round of mobilization. During his interview with Sky News, President Zelensky affirmed that his country believes Russia will maintain its strategy, despite the steep cost in human life. “He [President Putin] will throw poorly trained and mostly untrained people onto the battlefield,” Zelensky said.