Western intelligence admits the possibility of a new wave of mobilization in Russia and the call up to half a million people

Western intelligence believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin may soon announce a second wave of mobilization, during which up to half a million people will be drafted. This is reported by The Times, citing sources.

According to the newspaper, Putin is allegedly guided by polls that show that Russian society actively supports the military conflict in Ukraine, despite the setbacks at the front. What kind of polls, according to which the Russian society supports the fighting, are we talking about, The Times does not specify.

“Serious preparations are underway in the Russian regional military registration and enlistment offices. The Kremlin conducted a closed poll. Ordinary Russians are preoccupied with the war, but they are also unwilling to accept defeat,” an unnamed Western official said.
If the decision to conduct a new mobilization is made within the next few weeks, then 500,000 mobilized could be sent to the front by April – by which time the spring thaw will end and the land will dry up, and Russia will be able to launch a new offensive, The Times notes.

Western intelligence believes that at the moment Ukraine has the same number of soldiers on the battlefield as Russia. However, the head of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, who was previously appointed commander of the Joint Group of Forces in Ukraine, may need a three-to-one superior Russian force to take control of more Ukrainian territories, the publication believes.

Military experts believe that Moscow will launch a multilateral attack in the spring, which will have to divert Ukrainian troops from Donetsk and Luhansk. In addition, according to The Times, Russia may organize a new attack on the north of Ukraine from the territory of Belarus. However, such actions are unlikely to lead to the fact that Russian troops will be able to take control of more territories, but it is possible that Russia will be able to “pull Ukrainian resources” from the main war zones, the newspaper notes.

According to a Ukrainian intelligence source, Putin is “preparing for an escalation of the conflict, and Gerasimov is the best person to recoordinate this.”