Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be seeking to step up volunteer recruitment among the Russian population, likely due to declining domestic support for the Kremlin's efforts in the so-called “crypto-mobilization“, News.bg reports.
On July 6, he attended the “All for Victory“ forum, organized by the “Popular Front“ political coalition (formerly the All-Russian Popular Front) in Moscow-City, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.
“Popular Front“ is a coalition of non-governmental organizations and political parties, supported by by the Ministry of Defense and the Russian state, and is closely linked to the ruling United Russia party. Putin created the coalition in 2011, when he became prime minister. Today, it oversees the implementation of his decrees and increasingly serves as a channel for military aid, including through the All for Victory initiative, which supports Russian forces in Ukraine.
The organization also includes the Kulibin Club initiative for the production and testing of drones and electronic warfare equipment for the Russian army.
In his speech at the forum, Putin stressed that the Popular Front had become a mass social movement, thanks to the "vast majority of Russian citizens" who want to defend traditional "principles and values" inherited from previous generations. He said that the Russian army is enjoys “universal, national support“.
The president highlighted the organization’s contributions to the war effort, including the delivery of 110,000 drones and over 14,000 vehicles to Russian forces in Ukraine. According to ISW, Putin is likely using these messages to mobilize public support for the “Popular Front“ and the war, in the hope of stimulating voluntary recruitment of new soldiers.
The focus on the alleged broad support for the army among the population suggests that the Kremlin is having difficulty recruiting volunteers. ISW sees signs that the authorities are struggling to maintain sufficient levels of personnel recruitment and that Putin is avoiding a new partial mobilization for fear of internal tensions. Instead, the Kremlin is continuing its strategy of covert mobilization.
Escalation of Russian strikes and targeted attacks on civilians
On the night of July 5-6, Russian forces carried out a new wave of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine. Recent improvements in Russian drone technology and strike tactics indicate that attacks on civilian targets are most likely deliberate.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 157 "Shahed" drones and decoys from various directions - Shatalovo (Smolensk region), Millerovo (Rostov region), Primorsko-Akhtarsk (Krasnodar region) and the occupied Cape Chauda in Crimea. In addition, four S-300 missiles were launched from the Kursk region.
Ukraine claims to have shot down 177 drones, and 19 were "lost" or neutralized by electronic warfare systems. According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian drones have struck civilian, energy and military infrastructure in Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava and Zaporizhia regions.
Ukraine's ground forces have reported Russian attacks on a military commissariat in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, the third such incident since June 30. According to ISW, these strikes are likely aimed at disrupting Ukrainian mobilization efforts.
Russian forces have also carried out double strikes targeting rescue teams in Kharkiv and Kherson. This, combined with new tactics such as massing drones before a simultaneous strike, significantly increases the precision of the attacks and their destructiveness. Increasingly, night strikes are resulting in civilian casualties, and Russia is very likely deliberately targeting the population, including through double strikes aimed at hitting first responders.
Attempts to cover up losses and demographic collapse
On 5 In July, the independent Russian publication “Medusa“ reported that Rosstat (the Federal State Statistics Service) had stopped publishing data on mortality in the country. This is seen as part of the Kremlin's efforts to cover up losses from the war in Ukraine.
Rosstat's report on the socio-economic situation in Russia for the period January-May 2025 lacks demographic data. Researcher Dmitry Kobak reported that at the end of June 2025, the service refused to provide information on excess mortality among men and on monthly deaths by date in 2024.
ISW has previously noted that the concealment of demographic data aims to hide the high mortality rate among Russian military personnel and the country's deepening demographic problems.