Even Offering 77 Million Won in One Lump Sum, Russia Still Faces Troop Shortage... Recruiting on Streets and Visiting Homes

This year’s Russian military target: 409,000 contract soldiers
Local authorities and police collect lists of “vulnerable groups”
“Pressure to sign enlistment contracts on all types of people”

Reports have emerged that Russia has resorted to coercive recruitment methods, including forced conscription on the streets and pressure on vulnerable groups, to compensate for a shortage of troops.

Photo to aid understanding of the article showing Russian soldiers undergoing combat training at the special military operation frontline Zaporizhzhia area military training ground. Photo by TASS Yonhap News Agency

On August 10 (local time), Yonhap News Agency, citing the UK’s Financial Times (FT), reported that “the Russian military is employing coercive tactics such as rounding up men on the street or deceiving students into signing enlistment contracts in order to secure troops for the war in Ukraine.” The Kremlin and the Ministry of Defense have divided this year’s target of 409,000 new recruits, allocating quotas to each local government.

The reason for relying on contract soldiers instead of declaring a draft stems from Russia’s experience four years ago. When 300,000 reservists were called up in 2022, panic ensued and hundreds of thousands of people fled the country. Since then, Russian authorities have shifted to using money and pressure, offering new enlistees a lump sum of up to 4.5 million rubles (approximately 77.3 million won).

The problem is that even this financial incentive has failed to attract enough recruits. According to Ukrainian intelligence, as of early July, only 195,000 people had signed contracts—falling short of the target, and the daily recruitment rate has dropped to around 1,000, which is lower than last year. Western intelligence agencies estimate that Russian forces are losing more than 30,000 personnel per month.

Grigory Sverdlin, head of the NGO “Get Lost,” which assists Russian military deserters, commented, “It is becoming increasingly difficult for the Russian army to find people,” and added, “Since President Vladimir Putin is delaying a politically sensitive mobilization order, the Ministry of Defense is putting pressure on all sorts of people to sign contracts.”

"Grabbing People on the Streets to Sign" ... Even Visiting the Homes of Vulnerable People

There has been a succession of testimonies indicating that physical force has been used at the local level to meet recruitment quotas. In Penza, southern Russia, it is reported that police have raided workplaces and rounded up men on the streets, forcing them to sign enlistment contracts at recruiting offices. In Ulyanovsk, there was even a report that a man who had lost an eye signed a contract to enlist.

According to FT, local authorities and police have obtained personal information of “vulnerable groups” such as debtors, recently discharged conscripted soldiers, and men with suspended sentences, and have been visiting their homes and workplaces. Janis Kluge, a Russia expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), pointed out, “Local governments are targeting people they know have debts, are under police investigation, or have recently had their driver’s licenses revoked.”

The scope of these efforts has also expanded to universities. In April, CNN reported testimonies from experts and lawyers stating that universities were using coercion and intimidation to persuade students. According to Ukraine, Russian authorities attempted to recruit 50,000 students from universities and vocational colleges, but reportedly only one in 400 students agreed to sign a contract.

Desertions Increase Amid Coercive Recruitment ... Second Wave of Mobilization Possible After September Election

TASS Yonhap News Agency

As coercive recruitment intensifies, the number of deserters is also rising. The human rights organization “Peace Plea” estimated that at least 28,000 people have been convicted of charges related to absence from duty, and the actual number of deserters is believed to be much higher.

Within Russia, speculation about a second wave of mobilization has been spreading ahead of the State Duma (lower house) elections scheduled for September, causing more people to search for international flight tickets. However, a source close to the Russian Defense Ministry told FT that an additional mobilization could do more harm than good, stating, “If mass casualties and significant desertions occur among the mobilized troops, it could have a serious negative impact on the Putin regime.”

Nevertheless, the Russian government dismisses such concerns. President Putin maintains that Ukraine's collapse is “only a matter of time,” while former President Dmitry Medvedev has called the possibility of an additional mobilization “nonsense.”

However, Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told FT, “If the recruitment rate cannot be increased or a mobilization order is not issued, the Russian military will begin to deplete again, and the frontlines could eventually collapse.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.