Another 420 thousand people need: the ISW named the results of "cryptomobilization" in the Russian Federation

The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev announced on September 3 that from the beginning of 2023 contracts with the Ministry of Defense of Russia for the service of 280 thousand people were concluded. Medvedev noted that this number includes both persons who were previously in the Russian military reserve and those who had experience in hostilities.

The deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Andriy Gurulev declared on September 3 that the Russian authorities planned to conclude contracts with 420 thousand people by the end of 2023. On June 10, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the need to sign military contracts by all volunteer formations with the Ministry of Defense of Russia until July 1.

This means that the figures mentioned by Dmitry Medvedev and Andriy Gurulev may include and those who had experience in military conflicts, including war in Ukraine. However, the independent verification of this information and the number of completely new servicemen who have joined the war in Ukraine remain inaccessible to confirmation. According to the source, Russia continues to actively recruit the military to participate in the war in Ukraine.

These new contractors can have different levels of training and combat experience, as contracting time can range from several months to two years. This means that some of them may be less experienced and trained than servicemen who served in the army on a permanent basis before the contract.

The statement of the State Duma deputy Viktor Sobolev that the General Staff of Russia determined the need to attract 420 thousand people for new compounds and units, may reflect Russia's desire to strengthen its armed forces in the face of current conflict. However, there are competing priorities, such as the creation of long -term new formations and sending personnel to the front to Ukraine.

This may mean that Russia faces restrictions in resources and must balance between different needs in personnel. It should be reminded that on July 31, the American Institute for the Study of War reported that Russian citizens are setting fire to military enlistment offices in the Russian Federation, as well as in the occupied Crimea. However, these are not all cases of arson of military enlistment offices that occurred in a few days.