The Kremlin plans to recruit up to 500,000 people to the Russian Armed Forces to replenish the losses in Ukraine, according to Oleksii Hromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Russia is getting ready to fully provide its armed forces with significant mobilization resources to wage a long war of attrition, Oleksii Hromov said in his interview with Ukrinform news agency.
“Officially, mobilization in Russia has been suspended. However, measures are being taken to recruit contract soldiers to man up and replenish the losses of Russian units in the combat zone. However, the level of training and support for the soldiers who sign the contracts is insufficient to perform their assigned tasks. They gain the necessary experience directly during combat operations,” Oleksii Hromov said.
According to Hromov, since the beginning of the spring conscription in Russia, the Russian army has recruited only 6,000 to 15,000 people for contract service. At the same time, the Russian leadership plans to improve the situation by formally “merging” 40,000 troops from private military companies (except for the Wagner PMC) into the regular armed forces.
Around 5,000 mobilized Russian soldiers are currently undergoing training in training centers in Belarus, Hromov said.
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Furthermore, Russia’s General Staff plans to create new military units and subunits as part of the 25th Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District and the 40th Army Corps of the Southern Military District, which can be used as a strategic reserve, according to Hromov.
“According to our data, the 25th Army will include a motorized rifle division, two motorized rifle brigades, and one tank brigade. The 40th Army Corps will include a motorized rifle division and a brigade,” Hromov said.
The newly created military units are expected to be ready no earlier than the beginning of next year, according to Hromov.
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