Russia’s Kremlin is reorganizing its decentralized, regional volunteer recruitment campaigns into a federal effort, “indicating that Russia is struggling to meet the manpower demands of its war in Ukraine despite previous claims that the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast caused a spike in Russia’s volunteer recruitment,” according to the US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
On 20 September 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree forming an interdepartmental commission under the Russian Security Council. The commission’s primary objective is to more fully staff the Russian Armed Forces with contract servicemembers, known as kontraktniki. It will coordinate activities of federal, regional, and municipal government bodies and organizations in selecting candidates for contract military service. Its responsibilities include improving the selection process, assessing ongoing efforts to attract candidates to volunteer formations, and considering proposals to enhance material incentives and social support for kontraktniki and their families.
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev, known for his regular nuclear threats to the West, will chair the commission, with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov serving as deputy chairperson.
Despite claims made by Russian officials in August and September 2024 that the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast prompted increased interest in volunteering, Putin’s decision to centralize recruitment efforts “indicates that Putin assesses that Russia is not recruiting a sufficient number of volunteers to meet Russia’s manpower needs,” ISW says.
The timing of Putin’s decree, signed on the eve of the second anniversary of the fall 2022 partial mobilization, further signals his aversion to involuntary mobilization at this time.
In July 2024, Medvedev claimed that the MoD’s average daily recruitment rate for kontraktniki was 1,000 people. An unnamed Western official estimated in August 2024 that Russian forces were suffering roughly 1,000 casualties per day throughout the frontline in Ukraine and Kursk Oblast, according to an interview with UK outlet Independent. However, these numbers cannot be independently confirmed.
“The Kremlin has likely assessed that it can better control and improve Russia’s volunteer recruitment rates by centralizing and consolidating control over recruitment efforts and can no longer rely on underperforming regional recruitment campaigns to meet Russia’s manpower needs,” ISW concludes.
Related:
- UK intel: Russia likely expanding recruitment across Global South to sustain war in Ukraine
- WSJ: Russian Defense Ministry pressures Putin for a new wave of mobilization
- India rescues 45 citizens lured into Russian army, 50 more await discharge
- Le Monde: Russian mercenary group leaves Burkina Faso to defend Russia’s Kursk Oblast
- Informal channels facilitate Cuban enlistment in Russian military against Ukraine
