Expert warns Putin may launch large-scale troop mobilization after Russian Duma vote

According to Danish correspondent Claus Borg Reinholdt, the Duma election—Russia's first since the war began—is slated to deliver a decisive victory for United Russia, the party of Vladimir Putin. Reinholdt contends that the Kremlin will treat the vote as a loyalty test, not a genuine referendum, and may exploit the results to justify a large-scale mobilization of additional soldiers for the conflict in Ukraine. He notes that videos from the Donetsk region display civilians voting while Russian troops with large machine guns stand nearby.

Russian officials claim the presence of soldiers is to protect residents in a war zone, whereas Ukrainian authorities assert the voting is being forced. The expert warns that such a mobilization could intensify the ongoing fighting.