Russia plans to mobilize 300 troops to fight in Ukraine.

Russia will likely mobilize approximately 300 additional troops by the end of the year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He added that Moscow plans to complete its seizure of several eastern regions of Ukraine, according to reports. CNN.

In comments published on August 23, Zelenskyy said he expected Russian troops to control roughly the same amount of Ukrainian territory by the end of the year as they did at the beginning of the year, despite suffering massive losses of personnel.

"Since the beginning of the year, Russia has lost 267,000 military personnel, of which about 155,000 were killed," Zelensky said.

These figures cannot be independently confirmed, but they generally agree with the estimates of Western officials.

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With parliamentary elections due in Russia next month, speculation is already circulating about a new wave of conscription, even though the 2022 draft has sparked protests and a mass exodus of young men from the country.

"We are confident that they will carry out mobilization after the elections. However, in our opinion, it will not affect large cities," the Ukrainian president said.

He added that, in his opinion, Vladimir Putin will send these 300 mobilized troops to eastern Ukraine and has already ordered the military to complete the capture of the Donetsk region by the end of the year.

"They will lose all those mobilized there; we will destroy them," Zelensky emphasized.

Ukrainian forces hold about 20% of the Donetsk region's territory, including a belt of strategically important industrial cities such as Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.

Zelenskyy believes that Russia will not be able to completely capture the Donetsk region. He admits that Russian forces may attempt an offensive against the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.

"They don't yet have troops in the Bryansk region, which borders northeastern Ukraine, but we see military equipment along the border with the Russian Federation," he assured.

Musk, Kushner, and air defense systems

Speaking about air defense, Zelenskyy compared the volume of Patriot missile deliveries: Ukraine received 675 in 2023, while this year it expects approximately 264. He noted that ballistic missile strikes have led to an increase in civilian casualties and infrastructure destruction across the country, and Patriot missile systems remain the only means of intercepting them.

“As you can see, unfortunately, there is a decline, and this primarily depends on the American side,” he noted.

Last month, US President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine might be allowed to produce Patriot missiles under license, but later abandoned the idea.

According to Zelenskyy, if the US supplies Ukraine with up to 10% of its Patriot missile stockpile, Kyiv is prepared to pay for them. Such a decision, he acknowledged, "could play a huge role—both in terms of saving lives and diplomatically."

A similar situation is developing with European Aster air defense missiles: despite recent promises from French President Emmanuel Macron, there are not enough of them.

"There aren't enough Aster missiles, even though they're being produced," Zelensky stated, adding that licensed production would speed up deliveries.

Ukraine's long-range missile program will receive a further boost on August 24, when new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham makes his first official visit to Ukraine.

London has agreed to allow defense company MBDA to disclose classified information about British components to help Ukraine establish its own production of long-range SCALP missiles, the French equivalent of the British Storm Shadow.

Meanwhile, Ukraine, according to Zelensky, is searching for sites on Russian territory from which to launch ballistic missiles.

He stated that the Russian defense industry is capable of producing approximately 1300 ballistic missiles per year. "There are specific targets for strikes against military installations and other measures against ballistic threats," he assured.

Among other things, Ukraine has created an arsenal of long-range drones and its own cruise missiles, which are used against an ever-widening range of targets within Russia.

The Ukrainian President spoke about Kyiv's attempts to obtain permission to use satellite images of Russian territory provided by the Starlink system.

However, Starlink owner Elon Musk believes that this "could lead to a serious escalation on the part of Ukraine against the Russian Federation."

"He said he was in favor of ending the war, not prolonging it," Zelensky added, noting that negotiations with Washington were ongoing.

Speaking about the prospects for these negotiations, Zelenskyy suggested that the window of opportunity to end the war will remain until approximately the end of next summer, when the active phase of the presidential election campaign begins in the United States.

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According to him, US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner "are facing serious difficulties in finding a format in which Russia would agree to end the war without Ukraine being forced to leave Donbas or accept other unacceptable conditions."

"Jared, Steve, and I agreed to consolidate all these discussions into a single document—outlining realistic options for ending the war. This is precisely what the American side wants to discuss with us and the Russians," Zelensky concluded.

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