Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, claimed that the Kremlin is not currently preparing for mass mobilization.
He made the remarks to reporters in New York while commenting on reports that Russian men are leaving for Georgia in large numbers amid fears of possible mobilization after the State Duma elections.
“I wouldn’t say that tens of thousands of young Russians are fleeing to Georgia,” Nebenzya said, denying reports of a mass exodus of Russian citizens.
According to him, the Russian authorities see no need for a new wave of mass mobilization.
“Don’t worry about mobilization in Russia. It has been officially stated many times that we currently do not need mass mobilization, and it is neither planned nor expected, as far as I know,” the diplomat said.
At the same time, Nebenzya did not rule out that the situation could change after the elections.
“But let’s see what happens after the elections — and who is right and who is wrong,” he added.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Putin could launch a mobilization campaign after the State Duma elections and plans to call up between 300,000 and 500,000 people.
Amid these reports, media outlets have also reported that Russians are leaving for Georgia over fears of a new wave of mobilization.
