Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be trying to increase volunteer recruitment among the Russian population, possibly due to declining domestic support for the Kremlin’s crypto-mobilization efforts. Putin attended the “All About Victory” forum organized by the People’s Front (Народный фронт, formerly the All-Russian People’s Front) on July 6 in Moscow-City, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote.
The People’s Front is a political coalition of non-governmental organizations and political parties, supported by the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and the state, largely led by "United Russia".
Putin created it in 2011 when he was prime minister. It monitors the implementation of his decrees and increasingly serves as a military aid initiative, providing assistance to Russian servicemen fighting in Ukraine through its "Everything for Victory" program.
The organization also includes the "Kulibin Club" drone and electronic warfare initiative, which develops and tests technologies for the Russian military.
During his address to the forum, Putin said that the Popular Front had become a mass social movement due to "the vast majority of Russian citizens" who wanted to defend "the life principles and values" passed down from previous generations, and that the Russian military enjoyed "universal, national support" among the Russian population.
Putin highlighted the contributions the organization has made to Russian forces in Ukraine, such as the delivery of 110,000 drones and more than 14,000 vehicles. Putin is likely trying to boost public support for the Popular Front and the war in order to increase voluntary recruitment among Russian citizens.
Putin's focused messaging on the supposed "greater" support among the Russian population for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine suggests that the Kremlin is trying to combat problems with voluntary recruitment and public support for the war. ISW sees indications that the Kremlin is struggling to maintain its levels of voluntary recruitment.
ISW continues to assess that Putin remains reluctant to announce another partial mobilization for fear of domestic discontent and remains committed to promoting crypto-mobilization efforts.
Russian forces conducted a series of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine on the night of July 5-6. Recent adaptations of Russian long-range drone technology and strike tactics indicate that Russian strikes against civilian targets are highly likely intentional.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported on July 6 that Russian forces launched 157 "Shahed" and "Decoy" drones from the directions of Shatalovo, Smolensk Oblast; Millerovo, Rostov Oblast; Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai; and occupied Cape Chauda, Crimea, and four S-300 air defense missiles from the Kursk region.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces had shot down 177 drones and that 19 were "lost" or suppressed by Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) systems. Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian drones had struck civilian, energy and military infrastructure in Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava and Zaporizhia regions.
The Ukrainian Ground Forces reported that Russian forces had targeted a Ukrainian military commissariat in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, the third such strike since June 30.
The Russian strikes on Ukrainian military commissariats were likely aimed at disrupting Ukrainian recruitment efforts.
Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported on July 6 that Russian forces had carried out two double strikes targeting Ukrainian rescue teams during nighttime drone strikes on the city of Kharkiv and after shelling the city of Kherson on the morning of July 6.
Russia's latest technological adaptations of drones and strike tactics, such as massing drones close to a target before simultaneously striking them, have increased Russia's ability to precisely coordinate strikes and hit targeted targets.
Russia's recent series of nighttime strikes has increasingly resulted in civilian casualties, and Russia is likely deliberately targeting Ukrainian civilians, including with "double strikes", possibly designed to kill first responders, and strikes against military commissariats.
The Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) has stopped reporting the number of deaths in Russia, possibly as part of the Kremlin's efforts to hide Russia's losses from the war in Ukraine. On July 5, the Russian opposition publication "Meduza" reported that Rosstat had not reported demographic data in its January-May 2025 report, "Socio-Economic Situation in Russia".
Election statistics researcher Dmitry Kobak reported in late June 2025 that Rosstat had refused to fulfill his request for data relating to excess mortality among men and monthly deaths by date of death in 2024.
ISW previously assessed that Rosstat was withholding population data in an attempt to cover up Russia's ongoing demographic problems and the high mortality rate of personnel in the Russian military.