Russia is increasingly struggling to replace troops in Ukraine as casualties mount and voluntary recruitment slows.
The Wall Street Journal reports military recruiters in some Russian towns and cities are increasingly using detentions, threats and intimidation to push fighting-age men into military service. Lawyers, rights activists and eyewitnesses say men are being stopped on the street, detained during document checks or taken to recruitment offices, where some were threatened or beaten until they signed contracts.
Russia’s military recruitment system remains officially voluntary, but the reported tactics have fueled speculation that the Kremlin may eventually order another formal mobilization.
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Reports of coercion
The pressure appears to vary by region.
In Penza, where reports of aggressive recruitment have surfaced, residents have posted videos showing men sitting inside military vehicles while women outside pleaded that they had been beaten or forced.
Local officials denied the operations were forcing men into military service and warned that anyone spreading false information could face legal consequences.
Some regions are also paying people to bring potential recruits to military offices. In several areas, advertisements promise 100,000 rubles, or about $1,300, for bringing someone to a recruitment center.
Why Russia needs more troops
The r pressure campaign comes as Russia tries to replace heavy battlefield losses without ordering another nationwide mobilization like the one Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in 2022.
Western estimates put Russian casualties at roughly 30,000 to 40,000 killed and wounded each month. At the same time, voluntary recruitment has become more difficult as reports of abuse inside the military spread and Ukraine’s drones, missiles and artillery make front-line service more dangerous.
Russia has offered large signing bonuses, often more than a year’s salary, to attract recruits. The Journal reports those incentives are no longer producing enough volunteers to keep pace with losses.
Could another mobilization be coming?
The reports have renewed speculation about whether Putin will eventually order another formal mobilization.
U.S. officials believe the pressure campaign is adding troops, but not enough to produce major gains on the battlefield. They said the Kremlin is still weighing another mobilization, which could come after Russia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for Sept. 20.
Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow-based Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, told the Journal that if Putin sticks to his demands in eastern Ukraine, “he may have no other choice than to call a mobilization.”
Strikes continue
The manpower pressure comes as fighting continues across Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said Russian aircraft dropped eight glide bombs on residential districts of Zaporizhzhia, killing one person and injuring 31. Ukraine also said Russia launched 181 long-range drones overnight, with 14 striking targets in 13 locations.
Ukraine, meanwhile, reported strikes inside Russia, including the Saratov oil refinery, Engels military airfield and fuel storage tanks in the Kaluga region. Russia said it intercepted 131 Ukrainian drones overnight.
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