Russia losing 6,000 more troops in Ukraine than it can recruit each month, says west
Western officials report that Russia is losing 6,000 more troops per month than it can recruit, creating a significant personnel deficit. To compensate for these battlefield losses, Russia is increasingly targeting Ukrainian civilian energy infrastructure.
Why it matters
The personnel gap highlights the sustainability challenges of Russia's war effort and explains the shift toward demoralization tactics against the Ukrainian population.
Rehearsal for a military parade in Moscow in 2025. Putin is thought to have limited options for more recruitment. Rehearsal for a military parade in Moscow in 2025. Putin is thought to have limited options for more recruitment. Russia Russia ‘losing 6,000 more troops in Ukraine each month than it can recruit’ Moscow recruits an estimated 1,000 people a day but western officials say it cannot keep up with casualty level
Prefer the Guardian on Google Russia is losing about 6,000 more troops in Ukraine each month than it can recruit, western officials have said.
While Russia is still acquiring new battlefield recruits at speed, with an estimated rate of 1,000 a day, in the last two months even this has not been sufficient to replace those killed or injured.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in