Russia Significantly Exaggerates Recruitment Figures, Investigation Finds

According to a joint investigation by Important Stories and the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), published on August 1, Russia is overstating the number of new contract soldiers it is recruiting by about one-and-a-half times.

In December, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed there were 640,000 contract soldiers serving. However, based on data from Russian federal budget expenditures, Important Stories and CIT found that only 426,000 Russians had received a one-time payment for signing a contract between autumn 2022 and April 2024.

This discrepancy of approximately 214,000 cannot be explained by variations in the distribution of one-time payments. The investigation also cited an anonymous source who reported that in some Russian regions, only 50-60% of recruitment targets were being met.

On July 31, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ordered an increase in the sign-on bonus for new recruits to serve in Ukraine to 400,000 rubles (over $4,600) as Russia seeks to bolster its military manpower amid the ongoing full-scale invasion.

Russia has been upping recruiting efforts, with reports stating that Moscow is offering one-time signing bonus of 1.9 million rubles ($21,200) for city residents who enlist in the military and are forcing immigrants into enlisting. However, on July 26, Andriy Yusov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR), stated that Russia’s difficulties in recruiting new soldiers may impair its offensive capabilities.