Russians Fear Putin Will Send Them to War Once Election Is Over

Amid rumors of a new mobilization, senior Russian officials have spent recent months trying to open accounts at foreign banks and move their assets abroad, Bloomberg reported, citing documents it had obtained.

According to Bloomberg, draft office employees are doing the same, and advising friends and relatives to leave Russia.

Bloomberg’s report offered no further details.

Speculation that Russia could announce a new mobilization after elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, has circulated for several weeks, echoed by Meduza sources, Western media, and Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russian authorities are allegedly planning to mobilize up to 300,000 people this fall.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said Ukrainian officials are trying to “ideologically stir up the situation” in Russia with their statements about a possible mobilization. Commenting on the rumors, Vladimir Putin has said that “there is no scenario today that would require a mobilization,” and has called the reports “utter nonsense” and an “information attack” on Russia.