Russia needs 30,000 new soldiers every month for its war in Ukraine… and more and more

Since the start of the war, according to estimates from exiled Russian media and analysis centers, at least 300,000 Russian soldiers have died and up to a million have been wounded and are out of action. Not exactly encouraging for Russians to enlist to go fight in Ukraine.

Officially, the Russian army recruits on a voluntary basis. To attract new recruits, they use a strong argument: money. Salaries are very high by Russian standards. A basic soldier earns 200,000 rubles per month, which is 2,200 euros at the current exchange rate. Added to this are significant signing bonuses and other benefits which mean that in the first year a soldier can earn up to five million rubles, or 55,000 euros. This represents 4,5,6 times the average salary in certain regions. So far, this seemed to be enough, if we are to believe Defense Minister Andrei Belousov: “It’s progressing faster than expected. We are on track, forming new units, especially those responsible for drone systems.“

Contrary to what the Defense Minister says, and as admitted by Russian leaders themselves, things are not going so well. By the end of March 2026, Dmitry Medvedev, the former president in charge of the matter, stated that the army had recruited 80,000 men in the first quarter, 20% less than in 2025. Yet, there is no reason to think that the needs of the Russian army have diminished.

It is estimated that around 30,000 new Russian recruits are needed every month to replace the killed and wounded. These declining recruitment numbers are confirmed by the work of a German researcher, Janis Kluge, who analyzes the budgets of Russian regions that pay recruitment bonuses, showing that the recruitment pace has slowed in recent months.

To reverse the situation, Russian authorities are increasingly pressuring companies to send some employees to the front, as shown in a video recently released by a banned media outlet in Russia.

This was a meeting between business leaders and authorities from the Buryatia region in Siberia. One boss tries to explain that he cannot meet his recruitment quota for the army. “Since December, our company has been in technical shutdown, with only one person overseeing the site. Unfortunately, we currently do not have the material or financial resources. It could be said that the company is on the brink of bankruptcy.“

“Your justifications are not valid.”

“The government of the Republic, like the Russian army, does not accept or recognize your problems. The mission entrusted to you must be accomplished,” adds the official.

In Buryatia, a poor region of Russia that sends many soldiers to the front, authorities are exerting maximum pressure on these company executives to find soldiers. In another region, Ryazan, the governor has even issued a decree setting quotas for soldiers per company.

Students too are increasingly being solicited. Under pressure, the army is recruiting in universities, with active support from management. A few weeks ago, a school director scolded her students because none of them had enlisted.

The rumor of a new mobilization, like in 2022, resurfaces periodically in Russia. It is fueled by some lawmakers who argue for a new mobilization of 500,000 men. Back on September 21, 2022, to confront the Ukrainian army’s counteroffensive, Vladimir Putin had decreed a partial mobilization. The Kremlin rejects this perspective now, as it is very unpopular.

In September 2022, there were lines of cars at the borders of Russia, hundreds of thousands of men fleeing the country. The authorities therefore, at regular intervals, refute this hypothesis.

“There are always rumors, but for now, there is no need for a new wave of mobilization.”

“The individuals who have signed contracts with the armed forces are more than enough to successfully carry out all combat missions within the framework of the special military operation,” says former President Dmitry Medvedev. No mobilization in sight, Moscow repeats in a loop, without necessarily convincing everyone. Meanwhile, the authorities continue to rely on the lure of money, with several regions that had reduced recruitment bonuses at the end of the year, due to financial difficulties, abruptly raising them again.