- According to local reports, Russia wants to recruit 400,000 new contract soldiers from April.
- News of this recruiting comes as the military seeks to increase its personnel by 50%.
- Contract soldiers in Russia are typically volunteers who serve three years of paid service in the military.
According to multiple local media reports, the Russian Defense Ministry plans to recruit another 400,000 contract soldiers in 2023.
Recruitment activities are scheduled to begin on April 1, and local governments have already been notified of the hiring quotas that need to be met. Radio Free Europe reported on Tuesday.
For example, the regions of Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk were instructed to obtain 10,000 signatures each by the end of 2023, Ura.Ru said. Pro-Kremlin news agency.
And in Voronezh, one of the Russian regions closest to the Ukrainian border, military officials are distributing summons to residents telling them to update their details at the enlistment and military registration offices. It was observed. BBC Russia.
Authorities said the subpoenas were only issued to gather information, not to lay the groundwork for a second mobilization, BBC Russia reported.
Russian press layout reported that the Russian military is particularly looking for recruits for specialized positions such as artillery and armor.
Citing unnamed sources from the local authorities in Voronezh, the layout will allow the next batch of contract soldiers who can choose whether or not to be sent to Ukraine.
In September, Russia announced a “partial mobilization” of 300,000 reservists to replace troops depleted in the invasion of Ukraine.
Reports of en masse deaths of largely untrained and poorly equipped conscripts raised local concerns about a second wave of mobilizations.However, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in February that there were no plans for a second mobilization.
Shoigu also said in December The Ministry of Defense is looking to increase its military from 1 million to 1.5 million. The bolstered army is expected to have at least 521,000 commissioned by the end of 2023 and deploy about 695,000 contract soldiers, Shoigu said.
Russian contract soldiers are usually Volunteers signing up for a three-year paid stint in the military, According to the think tank War Institute. Their number is about 400,000 Before Moscow invaded Ukraine. Since the war began in February 2022, recruiters have offered contract soldiers hefty bonuses and salary increases.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
