Occupiers plan to conduct clandestine recruitment of 400,000 more Russians – The Washington Post

Russian officials want to "quietly" recruit more than 400,000 Russians to the war with Ukraine in 2023. Mostly at the expense of contractors from low-income families.

Source: The Washington Post 

Quote: "Separate from the goal of enlisting 400,000 men for the war this year, the CIA update said that Russian Defense Ministry officials ‘reported a Putin-supported plan’ to recruit over 415,000 contract troops in 2023.

The update did not provide context for this goal, but the number is likely a part of a publicly announced plan by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu…to expand the Armed Forces to 1.5 million from 1.15 million by 2026. According to the plan, contract soldiers should make up nearly half of total personnel."

Details: This was stated in the leaked documents of the American intelligence, which the journalists of the Washington Post have at their disposal.

It is reported that in mid-February, President Vladimir Putin "reportedly backed" his military’s proposal to "quietly recruit" 400,000 additional troops throughout 2023 for the war in Ukraine.

The document, categorised as a CIA daily intelligence update, indicates the information was based on a "signals intelligence report", meaning it was acquired by intercepting or eavesdropping on communications of Russian military officials.

The need for additional troops risks alienating the Russian public, and therefore, the Kremlin decided to attract regional governors to draft campaigns and continue to attract men from Russian prisons.

In addition, it is noted that the internal Russian special services, even among themselves, do not report reliable information about the losses of the Russian side.

In one of the documents it is said that the FSB questioned the internal military assessments in late February, claiming that they do not take into account the deaths of soldiers who fought within irregular formations.

The document says that according to the FSB, "the actual number of Russians wounded and killed in action was closer to 110,000".

Russia’s near-term goal appears to be to enlist 415,000 contract soldiers, of whom "300,000 would serve as reserves and 115,000 would form new units or replenish undermanned units based on current estimates that Russian forces in Ukraine had deficits of 50,000 combat troops and 40,000 reserve troops," the document stated.

The document noted that the plan was opposed by some Russian economic officials, who were worried about the potential effects it would have on the civilian workforce.

Western intelligence estimates that Russia began its invasion in February 2022 with about 150,000 troops.

During the "partial mobilisation" last fall, more than 300,000 were conscripted, and another 50,000 were believed to be fighting in Ukraine as part of the Wagner mercenary group, including convicts recruited from prison. There is also an unknown number of men forcibly conscripted in the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics to fight alongside pro-Russian separatists, and smaller volunteer units. According to the leaked documents, the United States estimates that Russia has suffered 189,500 to 223,000 casualties, with up to 43,000 killed.

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