Russia intensifies forced mobilisation in occupied territories of Ukraine, intelligence reports
Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU)
Quote: "Russians in the occupied territories are maintaining intensified military records, starting with those who are still sitting in school classrooms."
Details: "They (the Russians – ed.) go to schools, they go to businesses, they keep records and try to conscript as many men of draft age as possible," said DIU representative Andrii Cherniak.
Defence Intelligence emphasised that Russia has a large mobilisation reserve but conscript people from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories to commit genocide there.
Cherniak also stated that Russians are sending untrained individuals into combat.
Quote: "They dress them, give them weapons and throw them into battle with the expectation that within a few hours or days, they will be dead. This allows Russia to absolve itself of any further responsibility for these people, whom they consider separate from themselves – people of a different sort."
Background: In Siverskodonetsk, occupied Luhansk Oblast, Russians are conducting career guidance sessions for ninth-grade students, where military recruitment officers encourage them to sign contracts with the Russian Armed Forces.
Support UP or become our patron!
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Will Putin ‘wriggle out' of Zelensky meeting?
'Now, the signals coming from Russia are simply outrageous,' Zelensky wrote on X. 'They are trying to wriggle out of holding a meeting. They don't want to end this war. They continue their massive attacks on Ukraine and their ferocious assaults along the frontline.' The remarks came after Russia on Thursday launched a massive attack on Ukraine that struck an American-owned electronics factory. Officials said the barrage included more than 600 drones and missiles across the country, in what Zelensky called an 'anti-record.' Trump posted a cryptic message later in the day, raising the prospect of Ukrainian attacks into Russia and predicting 'interesting times ahead.' The U.S. president on Monday indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin was open to a meeting with Zelensky, but Russia has since sought to slow-walk the process. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking to reporters Thursday, said Putin was 'ready' for a meeting with Zelensky, but only if unspecific conditions were met. Lavrov also questioned Zelensky's 'legitimacy' in such talks and railed against NATO discussions about post-war security guarantees for Ukraine. 'All the different [ideas], all the unilateral [moves] are an absolutely hopeless venture,' Lavrov said, according to Reuters. 'As the current discussions between the West and the Ukrainian side are essentially linked to providing guarantees in the form of the foreign military intervention of a certain part of the Ukrainian territory.' Russian officials said earlier this week that any top-level talks between Putin and Zelensky would require layers of lower-level preparations. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff claimed that Putin had agreed to NATO-like protections for Ukraine during previous talks. However, Lavrov and other Russian officials have made no such indication in public remarks this week. Trump dropped his demands for a ceasefire in Ukraine after a meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday, insisting the two sides were making progress toward a peace deal and suggesting Putin and Zelensky could meet within days. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday said the president had canceled his August vacation to his Bedminster resort to work on talks to end the war. 'He's a man on a mission. He wants to move. Get things done quickly,' Leavitt said. 'He wants to strike when the iron is hot.'


The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Zelensky accuses Russia of ‘deliberate' attack on American-owned factory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Russia of launching a 'deliberate' attack on an American-owned facility in his country, amid signs that the Kremlin is slow-walking a peace deal to end the yearslong conflict. 'In Mukachevo, the Russians practically burned down an American company producing electronics—home appliances, nothing military. The Russians knew exactly where they lobbed the missiles,' Zelensky wrote in a post on the social platform X. 'We believe this was a deliberate attack against American property and investments in Ukraine,' he continued. The Texas-based electronics manufacturing company, Flex Ltd., confirmed its facility in Mukachevo, Ukraine, was damaged early Thursday in a missile strike, which injured 'a few employees and contractors.' Zelensky underscored the relevance of the timing of the attack— less than a week after the Russian leader met with President Trump in Alaska and just days after Zelensky and European leaders huddled at the White House to discuss next steps toward a peace deal. 'Telling attack, right as the world awaits a clear answer from Russia on negotiations to end the war,' he said. Zelensky noted that the potential next steps that Trump laid out — a bilateral meeting with Zelensky and Putin, followed by a trilateral meeting that Trump would join — were discussed in Washington and in a phone call between Trump and Putin. Zelensky said Putin appeared to be 'trying to wriggle out' of a meeting to end the war in Ukraine. 'Now, the signals coming from Russia are simply outrageous,' Zelensky said. 'They are trying to wriggle out of holding a meeting. They don't want to end this war. They continue their massive attacks on Ukraine and their ferocious assaults along the frontline.' Zelensky pointed to the attack on the American company and to the proximity of the strikes to NATO borders as 'not accidents,' but 'Russian impudence.' 'We expect our partners to respond in a principled manner,' Zelensky said. 'This war must be brought to an end. Pressure must be exerted on Russia to end the war. Putin understands nothing but force and pressure.' He nodded to Trump's musings earlier Thursday about Ukraine launching an offensive inside Russia, saying the U.S. president is 'absolutely right—this must be done not only in defense.' Trump earlier this month had called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and threatened crippling sanctions on Russia, but largely dropped those demands after meeting with Putin in Alaska last week, instead pushing for a comprehensive peace deal.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump, Zelensky put on the smiles at Oval Office
President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a much more cordial Oval Office meeting in front of TV cameras Monday than the fiery eruption that took place in front of the room's fireplace in February. The Zelensky meeting came just days after Trump hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday to discuss a potential end to the war in Ukraine. Trump met with Zelensky in the Oval Office ahead of an expected wider meeting at the White House with seven top European leaders. Trump told reporters he would speak with Putin after those meetings in the hopes of setting up another meeting. 'I think if we have a [trilateral] there's a good chance of maybe ending it,' Trump said. 'But he's expecting my call when we're finished with this meeting.' Both Trump and Zelensky largely used careful language and avoided the kind of flare-up that defined their last White House meeting in February. 'We're going to have a meeting. If everything works out well today we'll have a trilat. And I think there'll be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that,' Trump told reporters. Vice President Vance was also in the room. Vance famously clashed with Zelensky in February but opted to not chime in during Monday's meeting as he sat beside Trump. The president did not bite on questions from Fox News about whether Ukraine or Russia had better 'cards' in the conflict or whether it would be the end of U.S. support for Ukraine if there was no peace agreement reached after Monday's meetings. 'I can never say that. It's never the end of the road,' Trump said. 'People are being killed and we want to stop that.' Trump said a ceasefire may not be necessary before coming to a larger peace agreement, and he left open the possibility that U.S. forces could be involved in some type of peacekeeping force in Ukraine to prevent further aggression in the future. 'We're not talking about a two-year peace and then we end up in this mess again. We're going to make sure everything's good,' Trump said. 'We'll work with Russia, we're going to work with Ukraine and we're going to make sure it works.' Trump punted on a question about whether the United States would provide security guarantees for Ukraine, telling reporters, 'we'll let you know that later today.' When pressed on whether security guarantees could include U.S. troops, he said Europe is the first line of defense but that the U.S. could help. 'When it comes to security, they're going to be a lot of help … they're going to be the first line of defense because they're there. They're Europe,' Trump said. 'We'll be involved,' he added. The high-stakes meeting struck a far different tone from the last time Zelensky was at the White House in February, when Trump and Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of being ungrateful and having no leverage in his fight against invading Russian forces. Trump greeted Zelensky outside the West Wing, giving him a handshake and a pat on the back as reporters shouted questions. Zelensky appeared to learn from the prior experience as well. He opened the meeting by thanking Trump for his efforts to 'stop killings and stop this war.' Zelensky told Trump he was thankful to first lady Melania Trump for the letter she penned to Putin in which she raised concerns about the plight of children throughout Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader also wore more formal attire, something that did not go unnoticed by pro-Trump reporter Brian Glenn, who in February needled Zelensky for his lack of a suit. 'You look fabulous in that suit,' said Glenn, who works for Real America's Voice. 'I said the same thing,' Trump noted. Zelensky pointed out that Glenn appeared to be wearing the same suit as in February, eliciting laughter from Trump. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.