Russia is preparing to mobilize 500,000 personnel this autumn, with plans to rapidly deploy some conscripts to the eastern front while training others for a potential new offensive axis, a Ukrainian official reported on Saturday, July 18. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, stated that the Russian military command intends to use the mobilized forces to address immediate personnel shortages and to establish a new operational direction.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Russia is preparing a mobilization of 500,000 people for the autumn. Some are planned to be thrown into battle in the first two weeks to plug holes in the East, while others will be trained for at least a month for the potential opening of a new front direction. This is the plan of the Russian Federation,” Kovalenko wrote on Telegram. He noted that the upcoming autumn and winter periods will involve intense infantry combat operations. According to Kovalenko, Russian officials, including First Deputy Chief of Staff Sergei Kiriyenko and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, have assured the Russian leadership that this mobilization effort will secure a military advantage. Recruitment shortfalls and election concerns The warning of an impending large-scale mobilization follows assessments by Ukrainian military intelligence that Moscow has previously avoided the topic to mitigate domestic political risks ahead of the autumn State Duma elections.