Russia can mobilize for war on a scale comparable to the Soviet Union during World War II if necessary, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 30.
"If a great country needs to stand up, it will stand up at any moment. No one can have any doubts," Peskov said during a lecture at the Victory Museum in Moscow.
He claimed that "millions" of Russians are already assisting the military effort against Ukraine by collecting aid, sending equipment and ammunition to the front line with personal funds, and weaving camouflage nets.
"Somewhere around 30 million Soviet people... gave their lives in the fight against fascism," he added.
Peskov's comments come as Russian authorities recruit 30,000 to 40,000 people into the army each month, sources familiar with U.S. and EU intelligence told the Wall Street Journal.
Instead of formal conscription, the Kremlin has leaned on financial incentives and aggressive recruitment campaigns to fill its ranks, including offering lucrative contracts to volunteers.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin has avoided another large-scale draft following the unpopular 2022 partial mobilization that triggered the exodus of over 261,000 Russians, military leaders are reportedly pressuring the Kremlin to initiate a broader draft.
The current recruitment pace is sufficient to cover Russia's reported frontline losses, which NATO estimates at roughly 1,000 troops daily. Ukraine's General Staff said on April 30 that Russia has lost 951,960 troops since launching its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
Deputy Chairman of Russia's State Duma Defense Committee Alexei Zhuravlev said in January that a larger mobilization may be necessary in preparation for potential conflict with Western nations within the next three to four years.
"It is necessary to prepare the male population and, naturally, to defend the homeland. We should talk about it and not be shy about it," Zhuravlev said.
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi told LB.ua on April 9 that Russia could mobilize up to 5 million trained reservists, with a total potential capacity of 20 million people.
On March 31, Putin ordered the regular spring conscription of 160,000 men — Russia's largest conscription call in 14 years. Though conscripts are formally barred from frontline combat, many are indirectly drawn into the war through various recruitment methods.
Alisa Yurchenko
(Updated: )
