Military exercises rehearsing mobilization procedures were held in Russia’s Kaliningrad region in July, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Western intelligence officials.
According to the newspaper’s sources, the drills tested the military’s readiness to carry out mobilization measures in the region, including its ability to house mobilized personnel and supply them with provisions and weapons.
Western intelligence officials said similar exercises are being held in other Russian regions as well, though they did not specify where.
The drills are specifically meant to prepare for a possible new wave of mobilization, the newspaper’s sources said, though no such decision has been made yet. Mobilization is unlikely to be announced before the September parliamentary elections, they added.
Experts interviewed by the newspaper said it is unclear what practical effect a fall mobilization announcement would have, since fighting typically slows in winter due to difficult weather conditions. But military analyst Michael Kofman said a new wave of mobilization could affect the situation at the front as early as 2027.
Sources have told Meduza and other outlets since late June that a new wave of mobilization is possible. The most common theory holds that mobilization could be announced after the September elections.
Russian authorities officially deny any plans for a new wave of mobilization. They did the same before announcing mobilization in September 2022, and no official decree has ever ended it.
Amid rumors of a new mobilization wave in August, the human rights organization Kovcheg recorded a sharp rise in inquiries about emigrating from Russia.
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