Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia could launch a new recruitment drive for the war after the parliamentary elections. According to Zelenskyy, 300,000 additional troops could be recruited under a process described as “peripheral mobilization,” which could target remote regions rather than the country’s major cities.
Russia’s parliamentary elections are planned for September 18-20. Zelenskyy argued that Moscow could carry out further recruitment in line with its goal of increasing the total number of troops to 500,000 by 2027.
Progress and losses in Donbas
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, the Ukrainian leader claimed that Russia had suffered heavy troop losses while attempting to reach the cities described as the “fortress belt” in the east.
Assessing Ukraine’s gains in the southeast, Zelenskyy said that in 2026 the territory occupied by Russia and the area recaptured by Ukrainian forces would be equal in size.
Missile production and air defense
Zelenskyy said Russia had increased its air attacks on Ukrainian cities and was aiming to develop the capacity to produce 1,300 ballistic missiles a year. He also said Ukraine’s access to U.S.-made Patriot interceptors had declined.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was expected to receive 264 Patriot interceptors in 2026, a lower figure than the 364 interceptors received in 2025 and the 675 received 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.”
Winter preparations and financing needs
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was preparing for a difficult winter because of the possibility of new Russian attacks on its energy grid. He said the air force had requested 360 missile interceptors for the winter period. He also announced that an agreement had been reached with France this year on at least one SAMP/T air defense system.
Zelenskyy said an agreement had also been reached with Germany to supply approximately 600 PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors by 2028. Saying that Ukraine faced a $27 billion financing gap this year because of rising defense spending, Zelenskyy said at least $8 billion was needed to make a normal start to 2027.
The Ukrainian leader said approximately $20 billion was needed for military salaries, payments to the families of fallen soldiers and other expenses.
