Putin ‘preparing to mobilise another 500,000 conscripts’ for new all-out assault after ‘fake’ ceasefire, Ukraine warns

VLADIMIR Putin is preparing to mobilise another 500,000 troops this month to bolster war efforts, Ukraine has warned. Ukrainian intelligence officials have warned that Moscow is planning a new call-up of 500,000 conscripts to the frontline in mid-January. ReutersUkraine warns Putin is preparing a fresh mobilisation[/caption] ReutersThe city of Bakhmut was shelled during the 36-hour truce[/caption] EPAPutin broke his own ceasefire as several cities in Ukraine reported shelling[/caption] An official has claimed the new conscription wave will be larger than the last one when another 300,000 conscripts were called to fight in October. The partial mobilisation had sparked panic across the country sending Russians frantically fleeing to the borders to escape being sent to the battlefield. Andriy Cherniak, an official with the Main Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that the new wave of mobilisation will begin after January 15 and this time Russia plans to focus on big cities. He told Politico:”This time the Kremlin will mobilise residents of big cities, including the strategic industries centres all over Russia. “This will have a very negative impact on the already suffering Russian economy.” Moscow has denied it is preparing for a fresh draft of conscripts but Cherniak claimed that Russia secretly continued the conscription of troops.   The Russian leader had previously said a new call-up would be “pointless” as only 150,000 of those drafted in October are currently fighting in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s deputy military intelligence chief Vadym Skibitsky told the Guardian the troops could be part of a series of fresh Russian offensives over the spring and summer. He said Ukraine believes the east and the south of the country will be targeted in these attacks. Ukraine’s warning comes amid mounting fears Putin is set for a fresh assault. Last month a top commander warned that Moscow is preparing a fresh all-out invasion and even suggested it could be around the anniversary of the first one last February. Major General Andrii Kovalchuk, 48, said Ukrainian fighters were prepared to fight millions of Russian soldiers, speculating the potential strike could be from Belarus giving them a clear run to the capital of Kyiv. He said: “We foresee such options, such scenarios. “We are preparing for it. We live with the thought that they will attack again. This is our task. “We are considering a possible offensive from Belarus at the end of February, maybe later. “We are preparing for it. We are investigating. We look at where they accumulate strength and means. We are preparing.” It comes after the Russian tyrant broke his own 36-hour ceasefire with several Ukrainian cities reporting heavy shelling. Putin instructed his defence minister Sergei Shoigu to introduce the ceasefire regime along the “entire line of contact” from midday on January 6 to midnight on January 7. Putin had called for the ceasefire to coincide with Orthodox Christmas celebrations, which traditionally take place on January 7. But just hours after the truce was set to start, Ukraine reported shelling in the city of Bakhmut and in Kramatorsk as well as in Kherson. The so-called ceasefire ended tonight as the paranoid dictator stood alone at the service at the Cathedral of the Annunciation to mark Orthodox Christmas. AFPA local walking through the rubble in Bakhmut[/caption] ReutersPutin stood alone at the church on Orthodox Christmas[/caption]