Russia is stepping up military recruitment amid rumors of mobilization
In Russia, the aggressor state, the government is trying to replenish its army with contract soldiers amid significant losses in the war against Ukraine and a slowdown in voluntary enlistment. At the same time, rumors of a possible new mass mobilization are spreading more and more among Russians, according to The Guardian.
According to Western estimates, Russian troop losses exceed 30,000 killed and wounded each month. Janis Klug, an expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, has calculated that Russia is currently recruiting approximately 1,000 soldiers per day. In his assessment, most of the new recruits are being sent to replenish depleted units rather than to build up offensive capabilities.
Following the mobilization in September 2022, when the Kremlin called up 300,000 reservists, the authorities have avoided another large-scale draft. Instead, men—primarily from poorer regions—were offered large signing bonuses and salaries under open-ended contracts. According to The Guardian, Russia has recruited about 1.3 million contract soldiers since then.
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Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called reports of a possible draft “nonsense” and a “false provocation” by Ukraine. At the same time, two sources familiar with discussions in Moscow told the publication that they had no information about a decision by Vladimir Putin regarding a new mass mobilization. A high-ranking Western official also said there were no signs that such a decision had been made.
Human rights activist Alexei Tabalov, who heads an organization that assists Russian conscripts, reported an increase in coercive recruitment methods in the regions. According to him, men are being detained on the streets, taken from their workplaces, or summoned to police stations, and then transported to recruitment centers and pressured into signing contracts. Activists have reported similar incidents in the Penza region, including threats of criminal prosecution and beatings.
The authorities place a significant portion of the responsibility for meeting recruitment quotas on regional administrations. They offer payments both to soldiers who sign contracts and to people who bring in candidates for service. According to the independent Russian publication IStories, the regions have paid recruiters at least 7.7 billion rubles under such schemes. Tabalov believes that if the current system fails to provide the necessary number of people, the Kremlin may face a choice regarding the form of mobilization—ranging from mass conscription to more selective measures.
