Russia will not be able to recruit 400,000 "volunteers", people will be forced to join army – UK Defence Intelligence
UK Defence Intelligence believes that Russia will not be able to recruit another 400,000 people to the army voluntarily, as it has declared.
Source: UK Defence Intelligence update from 30 March 2023
Details: UK Defence Intelligence noted that Russian media reporting suggests the authorities are preparing to start a major military recruitment campaign with the aim of signing up an additional 400,000 troops.
Quote: "Russia is presenting the campaign as a drive for volunteer, professional personnel, rather than a new, mandatory mobilisation. There is a realistic possibility that in practice this distinction will be blurred, and that regional authorities will try to meet their allocated recruitment targets by coercing men to join up."
According to UK Defence Intelligence, Russian authorities have likely selected a supposedly ‘volunteer model’ to meet their personnel shortfall in order to minimise domestic dissent. It is highly unlikely that the campaign will attract 400,000 genuine volunteers.
However, rebuilding Russia’s combat power in Ukraine will require more than just personnel, UK Defence Intelligence noted; Russia needs more munitions and military equipment supplies than it currently has available.
Background: According to Bloomberg, Russia plans to increase its army by 400,000 people this year; it is reported that in 2022, the occupiers likely recruited more than 500,000 people.
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