Medvedev emphasizes voluntariness
Moscow: Army gains 120,000 new soldiers
May 19, 2023, 9:11 p.m
After the Kremlin caused thousands of Russians to flee the country with a partial mobilization, ex-President Medvedev is now emphasizing recruitment successes on a voluntary basis. Almost 120,000 new soldiers are said to have signed up for military service between January and March.
Russia has recruited nearly 120,000 troops since the beginning of the year, according to former President Dmitry Medvedev. “Between January 1 and March 19, 117,400 people were enlisted in the ranks of the army, on a contractual basis and as part of our volunteer units,” said Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council. Russian authorities would also continue to recruit and contract soldiers.
The army is trying to replenish its ranks, weakened by the offensive in Ukraine. In the past few weeks, Moscow has been campaigning massively for the army on the Internet and on posters in the streets of Russian cities. Various Russian media reported that the army hoped to be able to lure several hundred thousand men with particularly attractive conditions.
The authorities did not say how many new soldiers are to be recruited. According to various estimates, Moscow could try to recruit up to 400,000 volunteers. At the end of December, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said it was “necessary” to increase the number of troops in the Russian army to 1.5 million. Last September, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of at least 300,000 men. This prompted tens of thousands of them to leave the country.
Reservist call-up causes unrest
The Russian army has suffered significant casualties in Ukraine. However, the authorities have not released the latest figures on fallen soldiers. In September, the Russian Defense Ministry said nearly 6,000 Russian soldiers had died in Ukraine. According to Western estimates, around 150,000 Russian and around 150,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been injured or killed.
At the beginning of May, a decree by Putin, according to which all Russian reservists can now be called up for the annual exercise, caused considerable unrest in Russian society. Critics feared that the soldiers would be sent to the front in Ukraine instead of for military training. There are an estimated two million reservists in Russia.