Putin Will Run Out of Soldiers by 2028: Ukraine’s Intelligence Chief

Ukraine’s intelligence chief has said Russian President Vladimir Putin will run out of soldiers by 2028, adding that morale within the Russian army is low and troops have no desire to keep fighting.
Lieutenant General Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate, predicted that the Russian military could exhaust its troops and military resources by 2028, with morale in Moscow’s ranks currently “extremely low.” He told The Times that Russia’s resources will only last for about another 16 months: “Russia has the military and economic resources for the next year, but our estimate is that these will run out in 2028.”
General Ivashchenko added: “Russia recruits around a thousand people a day, sometimes 1,200 — but look at the casualty figures. Yesterday it was 1,410; the day before, 1,511. About 60 percent of them are killed on the battlefield.” He said morale within the Russian army “is extremely low because no one wants to fight.”
Meanwhile, Russian drones struck a shopping mall in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad, killing at least five people and wounding 67 others. Officials said the daylight attack hit shops and vehicles while the streets were crowded with people. Among the wounded were three teenage boys aged 13, 14, and 15.
Ceasefire diplomacy has intensified since President Donald Trump’s return to office in the United States. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met President Putin in Moscow, and then President Zelensky in Kyiv on September 6. The two sides agreed to a 72-hour temporary ceasefire covering both capitals, though attacks continue in other areas. Trump and Putin also held a 90-minute phone call.