War in Ukraine: Putin denies Russian mobilization, Naftogaz demands 4.22 billion from Russia

Have you missed the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Here is the gist of this Thursday, September 3, 2026, on the 1,653rd day of the conflict.

Fact of the day

No, Russia is not planning a major military mobilization campaign to deal Ukraine a blow. At least that’s what Vladimir Putin said during a speech at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok. “To date, there is no scenario that would require mobilization,” asserted the master of the Kremlin, affirming that the Russian forces in no way suffer from recruitment problems.

In July, however, Volodymyr Zelensky claimed to have received “clear information” from his intelligence services, affirming that Russia was preparing “a new wave of mobilization for the fall”. “This is an informational attack by the enemy on the eve of the Duma elections, with an attempt to influence their result,” Vladimir Putin cut short, referring to the legislative elections scheduled for September 18-20.

The number of the day

$4.22 billion. The amount claimed by Ukrainian public energy group Naftogaz from Russia in compensation for assets seized during the annexation of Crimea in 2014. It is by virtue of this “debt”, validated by international authorities, that Norway seized the Russian cruise ship “Professor Molchanov” in the Arctic on Wednesday, triggering the anger of Moscow. “We demand the immediate release of the ship and that the safety of passengers and crew be ensured,” said the Russian Embassy in Norway.

Sentence of the day

“Every day that war continues, humanity moves backwards, while each step toward peace offers true hope. We need to move from endless war to peace."

This sentence was uttered on Monday, on the sidelines of a summit in Kyrgyzstan, by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a stunned Vladimir Putin. This Thursday, the head of Indian diplomacy was in kyiv and Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed New Delhi's position. “We are grateful to India for its commitment to ending this unjust war, the war led by Russia against Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president said on his social networks.

The trend

Berlin, nest of spies? On Tuesday, in retaliation for the discovery of a drone loaded with explosives in early August at Leipzig airport, Germany announced its decision to close the Russian House of Science and Culture, a building built in the former East Berlin in 1984 near the Russian embassy.

Why this place specifically? In an interview on the private television channel Welt TV, conservative MP Roderich Kiesewetter assured that this establishment served as a platform for Russian spies. According to him, more than 100 people live there “without us knowing who they are” and the building’s electricity consumption is abnormally high.

Our file on the war in Ukraine

Retaliation for what Vladimir Putin describes as a “gross error” was quick. “The Germans have branches of the Goethe Institute here. In Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg. Of course, they will be closed,” declared the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, this Thursday.