"Mobilization under such conditions blows up country"; Kremlin propagandists about riot in Russia
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Russian Z bloggers are increasingly vocal about Moscow's preparations for a new wave of mobilization, warning that such an action under current circumstances could cause Russia to collapse. Military expert Maxim Klimov and blogger Pavel Ivanov discussed the sensitivity of this issue, noting that Russian society has become acutely aware of the army's massive losses in Ukraine. They argue that forcing citizens into combat when they perceive it as facing certain death would likely trigger widespread riots rather than bolstering military strength. Consequently, these commentators believe the Kremlin is attempting to delay an official announcement until after the State Duma elections in September, hoping to manage public unrest while secretly preparing lists of potential recruits.
Despite efforts to expand recruitment through administrative means and criminal code loopholes that allow convicted individuals to sign contracts, experts claim the regime cannot meet its goal of mobilizing 800,000 people using these methods alone. The transcript highlights a disturbing strategy where those on draft lists are being banned from obtaining foreign passports under various pretexts before they can be sent to the front lines by military police units that have recently been strengthened. This approach suggests an attempt to locate and conscript individuals quietly without officially declaring a mass mobilization, yet the underlying reality is that the current command structure, including Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov whom Klimov calls for resignation, appears incapable of reducing casualty rates at the front.
The conversation underscores a deepening crisis within Russian society as citizens realize the true scale of military losses and refuse to accept further sacrifice without significant changes in leadership or strategy. While public pages like VCHK-OGPU claim that mobilization is being planned after September elections to avoid immediate mass protests, critics argue this timeline ignores the inevitable backlash if the required numbers cannot be met through coercion alone. The fear among these bloggers is clear: attempting to throw soldiers into assaults they have no chance of surviving will not only fail militarily but could also explode internally by destroying any remaining social stability in Russia. Ultimately, the dialogue points toward a precarious situation where the state's desperation for personnel clashes with a populace that has lost faith in the war effort and its leadership.
Read the full video transcript
Russian Z bloggers have begun openly
discussing Russia's preparations for a
new wave of mobilization. However, they
believe that such a mobilization, given
the Russian army's massive losses in
Ukraine, would explode Russia. This was
stated, in particular, by so-called
military expert Maxim Klimov on air with
Z blogger Pavel Ivanov, which was noted
by Ukrainian blogger Dennis Kazansky.
Klimov acknowledged that mobilization is
a very sensitive issue for Russian
society, as it has realized that the
Russian army is suffering heavy losses
in the war. Ivanov's interlocutor is
confident that mobilization under such
conditions could lead to riots in the
Russian Federation, as Russians would
simply refuse to face certain death. No
matter what they shout, everything is
pointing toward an impending
mobilization. This is truly a sensitive
issue for society. They have realized
the scale of the losses, and so on. Why
are you short of personnel? Maybe we
should figure out why the losses are so
high. We'll calculate the real losses.
Conducting a mobilization under these
conditions would simply blow the country
up, Klimov stated, directly implying
that the Russian command is throwing the
occupiers into assaults they have no
[music] chance of surviving. Ivanov
agreed with his interlocutor and added
that, due to fears of riots, the Kremlin
is trying to delay a new mobilization as
much as possible. Klimov continued the
conversation by stating that the current
Russian military leadership is incapable
of reducing the number of losses at the
front, and demanded the resignation of
the chief of the Russian General Staff,
Valery Gerasimov. As previously
reported, the Russian public page
VCHK-OGPU claimed that the Kremlin wants
to mobilize 800,000 Russians by the end
of the year. Lists of potential
mobilization targets are already being
compiled,
>> [music]
>> and the mobilization process itself is
planned to begin after the State Duma
elections in September.
>> [music]
>> At the same time, the recruitment of new
contract soldiers continues using
administrative resources. Specifically,
the list of articles of the Russian
Criminal Code under which convicted
persons are permitted to sign military
contracts has been expanded. Despite the
scale of the measures being taken, the
regime understands that it won't be able
to raise 800,000 people using these
methods alone. Therefore, a new wave of
mobilization is being prepared after the
State Duma elections in September, but
it won't be officially announced.
Meanwhile, lists of potential recruits
are already being actively compiled.
Those included on these lists will be
immediately banned from obtaining
foreign passports [music] under various
pretexts. After the elections, if it
becomes clear that the required number
cannot be collected, they will begin
working on these lists, the public
writes. The channel odds, this figure is
not very high for Russia, so the Kremlin
hopes to avoid mass protests from the
population. To locate and send those on
the draft lists [music] to the front,
they plan to use military police, likely
acting on behalf of the draft boards.
The military police have been
significantly strengthened recently.