Russian President Vladimir Putin wrapped up September by ordering the drafting of 135,000 men, marking the largest autumn conscription drive for Russia in almost a decade. The number of new draftees, some 10,000 higher than the typical fall figure, has convinced analysts that despite Putin’s claims of wanting to end Europe’s biggest war since 1945, he has little interest in doing so.

The draft order also comes amid Putin’s aggressive drive to recruit hundreds of thousands of new contract soldiers to fight against Ukraine. Both measures are part of his aim to expand Russia’s armed forces to 1.5 million active personnel by next year.

Putin addressed his nation at the same time, in commemoration of the third anniversary of Russia’s claimed annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. “Our fighters and commanders go on the attack, and the entire country, all of Russia, is waging this righteous battle and working hard,” he said. “We are fighting and we are prevailing.”

The well-documented massacres in Bucha and Mariupol, the relentless airstrikes on homes, and the staggering numbers of child abductions expose the grotesque hypocrisy of Putin branding this war as “righteous.” But hypocrisy is Putin’s constant companion.

These developments—Putin’s massive new draft and his insistence that God is on his side—demonstrate that, three and a half years into the full-scale war, his dark ambitions show no sign of fading. He remains fiercely determined to assert control over as much territory and as many people as possible, despite the steep cost in blood and treasure.

This unwavering determination is something the Trumpet closely watches because of biblical prophecy. Ezekiel 38 describes an individual in the modern era called the “prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal” (verse 2; New King James Version). Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has written extensively about this man over the years and says “Rosh” in this passage should be read as a variation of the name Russia, while the other two names signify the Russian cities of Moscow, in the west, and Tobolsk toward Russia’s east.

In his booklet The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia,’ Mr. Flurry says it’s clear to him that this is describing Vladimir Putin. He emphasizes the ruthlessness and evil of this ruler. And he explains that the way this is written, listing different names for various parts of Russia, shows that Putin would conquer more of the former Soviet territory. He writes:

The use of all three names shows that this is an individual ruler of all the peoples of Russia, from the west to the east. The reference to the cities of Moscow and Tobolsk helps us see how vast Russian territory is in these latter days.

This giant swath of land indicates the prince will probably conquer more nations of the former Soviet Union.

This booklet was written in 2017, well before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and before Russia had gained as much control over other former Soviet countries such as Georgia and Belarus. It is now clear that Putin is making significant gains over the former Soviet space, and his new draft order is aimed at continuing the trend. His rule guarantees that some dark days lie ahead for the people of Russia, Ukraine and beyond. But Mr. Flurry makes plain that there is also great cause for hope and optimism in these developments. To understand, order your free copy of The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia.’