Medvedev Dismisses Rumors of Imminent Russian Mobilization

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev dismissed reports that Moscow is preparing a new wave of military mobilization, characterizing claims of an impending draft as false and provocative, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Friday, Sept. 11. Medvedev claimed that reports suggesting Russia is on the verge of a mobilization call-up were fabricated to destabilize domestic public opinion ahead of elections to the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “To change that picture, they are spreading nonsense about Russia being ‘on the verge of mobilization,’” Medvedev said, arguing that such assertions were aimed at counterbalancing difficulties faced by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “I deal with this matter directly on the instructions of the supreme commander-in-chief, so I can state with full responsibility: we have absolutely no need for mobilization.” Medvedev added that allegations regarding a impending draft were “lies, falsehoods, and a provocation intended solely to worry the population, especially ahead of the State Duma elections.” The denial comes despite recurrent assessments by Ukrainian officials and Western military analysts that the Russian military continues to sustain heavy personnel losses along frontline sectors in eastern Ukraine, relying on contract recruiting bonuses, regional bounties, and foreign recruits to maintain battlefield replacements without declaring a formal nationwide draft. Other Topics of Interest Russian Official to Attend G20 Energy Talks in Houston Despite Previous EU Protests Moscow will send a representative to Houston after European officials protested Russia’s return to G20 ministerial meetings in the US. Nuclear rhetoric and threats against Lithuania Medvedev’s remarks follow escalatory rhetoric directed against neighboring European states earlier. Speaking on Sept. 11, Medvedev warned that Lithuania could “disappear from the map of the world” if the Baltic nation moves forward with lifting its constitutional ban on hosting nuclear weapons. The warning came after Lithuania’s parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs voted 7-2 on Wednesday to advance draft constitutional amendments, following a political agreement reached by parliamentary party leaders in July. The proposed changes would create the legal framework for NATO allies to deploy nuclear capabilities on Lithuanian territory in crisis scenarios, with a final legislative decision anticipated early next year. “Lithuania, as I understand it, talked about opening the door for the possible placement of any weapon, including nuclear weapons,” Medvedev said. “If God forbid, something like this happens and we have to react to their actions, no one will step in for them.” Medvedev asserted that NATO would refrain from invoking its Article 5 collective defense commitment to assist Lithuania, claiming such an intervention would trigger “a global catastrophe.” At the same time, the Russian official denied that Moscow poses a conventional threat to European countries, despite recurring airspace incursions and suspected hybrid sabotage operations across the Baltic region and wider NATO territory. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda previously defended the proposed constitutional revisions, noting that the country’s founding legal documents were drafted under radically different geopolitical realities. Lithuania’s legislative push mirrors a similar policy change enacted by Finland, which authorized NATO to transit and host nuclear assets on its soil during security crises. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.