How Russia Is Growing Its Military in the Ongoing War with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to see as many as 160,000 individuals called for military service, surpassing the 133,000 conscripted personnel last fall.
Russia has struggled to produce its most advanced military platforms and has fewer than three dozen Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation fighters in service. It has also given up on mass-manufacturing the T-14 Armata main battle tank (MBT), while the production of the T-90M MBTs can barely keep up with combat losses.
Yet, what was true more than a century ago during the First World War remains true today. Russia is a massive land with a large population to draw from, a fact noted as the Kremlin announced that spring military conscription would begin on April 1, surpassing the 133,000 personnel who were conscripted last fall.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that would see as many as 160,000 individuals, citizens aged eighteen to thirty, being called up for military service. The conscription, which is slated to be even more significant than the 150,000 drafted last spring, will reportedly run from April 1 to June 15.
Such numbers are needed due to the considerable losses the Kremlin has taken in its ongoing war in Ukraine but also because many previously conscripted military personnel will be discharged as their term of service has expired.
At least officially, new conscripts are provided the option to choose the service branch based on their health status and the results of psychological testing. How much say conscripts have is another question.
Russia’s Military Conscription Numbers Hit New High
Though the spring conscription typically sees larger quotas, last fall‘s numbers were higher than in recent years.
“The call-up assignment established by the Russian president‘s decree was implemented on time and in full. A total of 133,000 citizens were called up for military service in the Armed Forces, other troops, and military formations,” Deputy Chief of the Russian General Staff‘s Main Organizational and Mobilization Department Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky explained in a briefing.
Russian Military Conscription Highs Coincide With Defender of the Fatherland Year
The spring military conscription also comes as Russia is set to mark the eightieth anniversary of the end of the “Great Patriotic War,” Russia‘s name for World War II. The annual Victory Day Parades are held in numerous Russian cities each May; the celebrations tout its victory over Nazi Germany.
The events have been scaled back since 2022, after the Kremlin launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Last year, many parades were canceled outright, while only a single World War II-era T-34 medium tank appeared in the central Moscow parade, which Putin attended. This year, Russia may attempt to pull out all the stops, especially as it had to delay and then subdue the 2020 event marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of the end of the war due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dozens of Russian soldiers had caught COVID during the preparations, and thousands more had to be quarantined.
Moscow may be looking to expand its military to mark the occasion.
“I cannot but note that the upcoming conscription campaign will run in the year of the 80th anniversary of the Victory of our people in the [1941-1945] Great Patriotic War. The year that has been declared Defender of the Fatherland Year by the Russian president,” Tsimlyansky added.
Russian Conscripts Needed to Offset Losses in Ukraine
Russia‘s total losses of military personnel killed in Ukraine remain a disputed figure, one that the Kremlin has repeatedly downplayed. However, recent numbers tallied by the BBC and reported by the Moscow Times found that more than 100,000 Russians have been killed, including around 4,800 officers.
Nearly one-quarter were also believed to have been volunteers, including around sixteen percent of convicted criminals.
As noted, that is also just verified losses.
The BBC also reported that the data was based on gravesites, war memorials, and published obituaries. That “captures only 45 percent to 65 percent of total casualties. Added to which, the bodies of many of those killed in recent months likely remain on the battlefield.”
As a result, the findings suggested that “Russian military deaths could range from 146,194 to 211,169.”
Putting that in context, Russia‘s losses in just three years of fighting could be at least ten times greater than the 14,453 Soviet soldiers killed in the decade-long Soviet-Afghan War. This fact helps explain why recruitment isn‘t an option for Moscow and why conscription will likely continue even after the war ends.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites, with over 3,200 published pieces and over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: at [email protected].
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