Greater than 210,000 Russians signed contracts with the Protection Ministry from January to July 2025 to struggle in Ukraine, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Safety Council, mentioned on July 2.
"The tempo is sort of respectable, good," Medvedev mentioned at a gathering of the fee on Armed Forces staffing. "I hope that we will keep the identical momentum sooner or later."
An extra 18,000 people have joined volunteer items, Medvedev added.
The revelation comes as Russia continues to escalate its conflict effort regardless of repeated calls from Ukraine, the U.S., and European companions for an unconditional ceasefire.
In keeping with Western and Ukrainian intelligence cited by the Wall Road Journal, Russian forces recruit 30,000 to 45,000 new troops month-to-month — almost twice the speed of Ukraine's mobilization, which President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned stands at 25,000–27,000 troops monthly.
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Ukraine estimates that Russia has suffered almost 1 million casualties because the full-scale invasion started in February 2022. Nevertheless, Moscow has offset its losses by means of aggressive recruitment and a gentle inflow of contract troopers.
In late 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree growing the scale of the Armed Forces to 2.38 million personnel, together with 1.5 million army service members.
Russia additionally this yr launched its largest conscription drive in 14 years, aiming to enlist 160,000 males for obligatory service. The nation holds two annual conscription campaigns, in spring and fall, requiring one yr of service from eligible males.
Whereas conscripts aren’t usually deployed to fight zones, the Kremlin has leaned on monetary incentives and guarantees of pardons to recruit civilians and former inmates for its conflict.
Following the deeply unpopular partial mobilization of September 2022, which triggered an exodus of over 261,000 Russians, Moscow has averted mass drafts, relying as an alternative on contract-based service.
