Evidence

The claim is a direct, accurate paraphrase of a Bloomberg News report published September 18, 2026 ('Russians Fear Putin Will Send Them to War Once Election Is Over'), which stated that Kremlin officials and staff at military recruitment centers have spent recent months trying to open foreign bank accounts, move assets abroad, and encourage relatives to leave Russia amid fears of a post-election mobilization. This reporting, based on documents Bloomberg says it obtained plus unnamed sources, was widely picked up and accurately relayed by numerous outlets including Meduza, The New Voice of Ukraine (NV), The Spokesman-Review, United24 Media, Mezha, and others, all crediting Bloomberg as the original source. No outlet found independently verified the underlying claim beyond citing Bloomberg's own reporting, and no fact-checking organization (Reuters Fact Check, AFP Fact Check, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo) appears to have separately investigated or disputed this specific claim.