A Mobilization That Doesn’t Speak Its Name?

[Editor’s note: Context — A draft amendment could allow Russia to call up its reservists (around 2 million men) and deploy them outside the country even in peacetime. Officially, Russia is not at war.]

According to Aleksandr Perendzhiev, the use of reservists fits into a logic of troop rotation and reinforcement in areas of counterterrorism operations and in Ukraine. These forces could be deployed to protect the regions of Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk, but also to support the stabilization of the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. They could also be used to create a buffer zone in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. Such movements, he suggests, could herald a decisive offensive, as Russia “cannot wage war indefinitely.”

Vasili Dandykin, reserve captain first rank, believes that this mobilization could be intended to strengthen the security of Russian oil and gas refineries and critical infrastructure, notably through anti-drone assets. He also mentions a possible role in offensive operations outside Russian territory, particularly along the Sumy and Kharkiv axes, as well as a “tense” situation in Karelia, on the border with Finland.

Experts: Aleksandr Perendzhiev, military expert and lecturer at Plekhanov University;
Vasili Dandykin, reserve captain first rank
Source: «Mobilizaciâ? Vrode net — hotâ nemnogo i da», Svobodnaâ Pressa, 14 October 2025

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