Twice within the first week of September, Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly dismissed rumors of a looming mobilization campaign in the country. On September 1, Putin called the rumors "complete nonsense" and described them as an "information attack" against Russia.
Two days later, on September 3, at the Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin said that "there is no scenario today that would require mobilization."
Summons are cause for unease among Russian DW users
DW's Russian service asked readers in Russia, on condition of anonymity, whether they see signs of an impending mobilization. The most common response from DW readers concerned receiving summonses from military enlistments offices.
"My nephew received a summons for data verification," wrote a reader from the industrial city of Naberezhnye Chelny.
