Ukraine claims Russia planning early graduations for military schools amid personnel shortage

Ukraine's General Staff claimed on April 8 that Russia is preparing to hold early graduations from some military schools amid a personnel shortage due to the "significant losses" it is facing on the battlefield.

In a Facebook post, the General Staff said that the Russian military leadership has likely decided to hold early graduations from higher military educational institutions in several  Russian cities – including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kostroma, Penza, Omsk, Tyumen, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Volsk, and Blagoveshchensk – on April 29 this year.

The General Staff added that early graduation excludes institutions that are training students to become part of Russia's strategic missile forces, air and naval forces.

Russia had not reacted to Kyiv's claim as of publication time.

The Russian Defense Ministry has 28 higher military educational institutions across the country listed on its website. Students can be accepted as early as age 17, right after high school, and the term of study is four-five years.

Russian military educational institutions usually hold graduations in June.

In June 2021, a little more than half a year before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported about 13,000 students enrolling in higher military educational institutions for the upcoming school year.

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Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. The authors’ research was funded by an Insight Grant from the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada. Images of warlords and militias from

Kyiv IndependentMatthew Light