Russia has launched a covert forced mobilization due to a shortage of recruits
Russian authorities have introduced a new scheme to replenish the occupation forces, shifting the responsibility for mobilization to the heads of medium and large enterprises.
According to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) dated April 1, the governor of the Ryazan region issued a decree requiring companies to independently select employees to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Specifically, companies with 150 to 500 employees must “provide” between two and five workers, depending on their workforce.
ISW analysts note that this strategy is driven by a critical drop in recruitment rates, which in January 2026 fell below the level of Russian combat losses for the first time. The Kremlin is attempting to avoid an official wave of mobilization by creating conditions under which the anger of workers forcibly sent to the front will be directed at the immediate management of the factories or regional authorities, rather than at the country’s top leadership. The new scheme will remain in effect until at least September 2026.
These measures confirm the depletion of the aggressor’s human resources amid intense fighting, particularly in the Pokrovsk direction. While the Russian economy suffers from a labor shortage due to the forced removal of specialists from production, Ukraine continues to strengthen its technological advantage through the use of drones and the mobilization of new reserves. The situation indicates that Moscow is prepared to sacrifice the industrial potential of its regions to sustain the aggression, despite rising internal social tensions. Similar decrees are now expected in other regions of the Russian Federation to implement the plans of the invaders’ General Staff.
From January 1 to March 26, 2026, Russian troops lost 89,000 personnel on the front lines, including those killed and seriously wounded.
During a counteroffensive in the Oleksandrivka direction, Ukrainian forces liberated 9 settlements and completely cleared 3 more of Russian occupiers.
