Russian President Vladimir Putin may face a choice between a new large-scale mobilization and finding ways to end the war against Ukraine this fall, according to military observer Vasily Pekhno.
„It is very likely that sooner or later Putin will face the need to declare mobilization in Russia. I think he will postpone this need as much as possible until the State Duma elections. Whether openly or secretly, he still needs to maintain his political approval ratings, and mobilization will certainly not contribute to the positive ratings of the ruling party. Therefore, they will try to postpone this issue until sometime in the fall if they continue the war. Another option for them is to sit down at the negotiating table and resort to more peace proposals,“ he said on the “Espresso“ show.
According to him, there are still no signs that Russia's war against Ukraine will end this year. However, the development of events depends on a large number of unpredictable factors and global geopolitical processes.
“However, I do not see any indications that the war will end this year. This is an extremely complex issue that depends on many factors. War is a complex equation with many unknowns. We could not have foreseen that a war of this scale could unfold in the Middle East. That is, we can foresee the possibility of conflicts, but the reactions of the different countries are impossible to predict,“ the expert added.