Russia sees increase in conscripts – ISW

Russian opposition media outlet Mediazona has reported that the Russian Central Bank has recently approved a substantial increase in loan deferments (credit holidays) for the Russian military, suggesting a potential rise in conscriptions to the Russian Armed Forces.

Source: The Institute for the Study of War (ISW); Mediazona

Details: Mediazona, citing data from Russia's Central Bank, reported that in July-September 2024, nearly 54,200 loan deferments were granted to Russian contract and drafted servicemen, a significant increase compared to the fewer than 30,000 granted in the same period of 2023.

In early 2023, Russian authorities enacted a law permitting banks to grant loan deferments to military personnel serving in Ukraine, likely aimed at providing a financial incentive to encourage enlistment.

The surge in credit holidays granted to Russian military personnel comes as signs emerge that the Kremlin is increasingly concerned about Russia's long-term economic stability and is making efforts to reduce certain benefits for soldiers who fought against Ukraine.

To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 16 November:

• Ukrainian drone operations continue to play a critical role in constraining Russian mechanised manoeuvre and preventing Russian forces from fully exploiting Ukraine's ongoing manpower constraints.
• [President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine must enter any future negotiations from a position of strength as Russian [leader] Vladimir Putin is not interested in a negotiated settlement – no matter the negotiating platform or mediator – that results in anything less than Ukrainian capitulation.
• Russian forces are innovating their long-range strike packages to include decoy Shahed drones and Shahed drones with thermobaric warheads, likely to confuse and exhaust Ukrainian air defences and increase the damages of long-range strikes.
• North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has ordered North Korean defence industrial enterprises to begin serial production of likely tactical strike drones – an example of how increasing Russian-North Korean military cooperation allows North Korea to learn from Russia's war in Ukraine.
• The Russian military command reportedly arrested and removed several commanders within the Russian 3rd Combined Arms Army (CAA) following inaccurate reports they made about alleged Russian advances near Bilohorivka and repeated outcries from the Russian milblogger community.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Svatove, Kreminna, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Kurakhove.
• Russian opposition outlet Mediazona reported that the Russian Central Bank has recently issued significantly more loan deferments (credit holidays) for Russian military personnel, indicating that Russian military recruitment rates may have increased.

Support UP or become our patron!