Russia exceeds monthly recruitment targets, Ukraine's military intelligence says
Russia is reaching 105-110% of its monthly military requirements, Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), said in an Aug. 12 interview with Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.
The Kremlin planned to enlist 343,000 people in 2025 and has already fulfilled over 60% of that goal. Skibitskyi added that Moscow intends to raise the target by at least 15-17%.
"One of the strengths of the Russian armed forces is that they have operational reserves," he said. "They use them to rotate troops and reinforce the most critical areas of the front line."
While avoiding another large-scale draft since the unpopular 2022 partial mobilization, Moscow has leaned on lucrative contracts and extensive recruitment campaigns, offering large signing bonuses and a generous social package.
According to Skibitskyi, the signing bonuses for contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry vary widely by region, with the highest payouts offered in Moscow and Leningrad oblasts.
The current recruitment pace, 30,000 to 40,000 people monthly, according to U.S. and EU intelligence cited by the Wall Street Journal, is sufficient to offset Russia's front-line losses, which NATO estimates at roughly 1,000 troops per day.
Russian military leaders are reportedly pressing for a broader draft despite the Kremlin's reluctance. In January, State Duma Defense Committee Deputy Chair Alexei Zhuravlev said a larger mobilization may be necessary to prepare for a possible conflict with the West.
In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the spring conscription of 160,000 men, the largest such call-up in 14 years, with many conscripts drawn into the war indirectly despite an official ban on their deployment to the front.
