FT: Forced Recruitment for War Grows in Russia, Kremlin Tries to Avoid Mobilization
Russia is increasingly using coercive methods to recruit people into the army — men are detained on the streets and at workplaces, while students and other vulnerable population groups are being pressured to sign contracts. The reason is a shortage of volunteers against the backdrop of high losses in the war against Ukraine.
This is reported by Financial Times, citing military analysts, human rights activists, and people familiar with Russia's military recruitment system.
According to Western government estimates, Russia loses over 30,000 troops monthly. Meanwhile, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is trying to avoid a new wave of mobilization similar to the one announced in autumn 2022, when hundreds of thousands of men fled the country.
As a result, Russia's Ministry of Defense is increasing pressure on local authorities, demanding they meet contract soldier recruitment quotas. According to sources cited by the publication, the total quota for 2026 is 409,000 new recruits.
Cash payments are no longer enough
For signing a contract, Russians are offered payments up to 4.5 million rubles, or about 56,000 dollars. But even such bonuses no longer ensure the required number of volunteers.
Russia's former President Dmitry Medvedev claims that in the first half of 2026, the Russian army attracted about 200,000 people. However, due to significant losses, most recruits are immediately sent to replenish depleted front-line units rather than to create reserves.
According to Grigory Sverdlin, director of the organization Get Lost, which helps Russian military deserters, there have long been not enough people willing to sign contracts voluntarily. Therefore, the military leadership is pressuring an ever-widening circle of citizens.
Who is being forced to sign contracts
Local authorities and law enforcement agencies are focusing on people who are easier to coerce or intimidate. Among them are:
- debtors and people in difficult financial situations;
- suspects and accused in criminal cases;
- men with suspended sentences;
- recently discharged conscripts;
- students and graduates of educational institutions;
- people summoned supposedly to update military registration data.
In Penza Oblast, activists reported raids at enterprises and detentions of men directly on the streets. They were subsequently brought to recruitment points and forced to sign contracts.
Similar cases were reported in Ulyanovsk, where, according to a victim, even a man who had lost an eye was forced to sign a contract. In Rostov, police detained 35 workers from a certain enterprise. Russian law enforcement denies that the purpose of such raids is to send people to the front.
In Khabarovsk Krai, police conducted 2.5 thousand so-called prophylactic talks over the past year. As a result, 32 people signed contracts, 28 of whom were defendants in criminal cases.
Summonses began to be issued throughout the year
Starting from 2026, Russian military enlistment offices were authorized to send summonses for updating registration data throughout the entire year. Human rights activists believe that this mechanism is also being used to pressure and push citizens towards contract service.
Not only men are being summoned. Women with medical and other education that may be needed by the armed forces are being called to military registration. In particular, a resident of Nalchik told the FT that she and several former classmates with pharmacology degrees received summonses.
Such reports are also being used against public and political activists. Newosibirsk lawyer Roman Malasemov said he received a summons precisely on the day of a court hearing in a case where he represented farmers in a suit against the state.
Desertion is rising in the Russian army
The increase in forced recruitment is accompanied by a rise in the number of servicemen leaving their units. According to the human rights organization Peace Plea, at least 28,000 people have already been convicted for fleeing their place of duty.
Analysts from Frontelligence Insight, who studied a leak of internal Russian documents, suggest that the real annual number of deserters could be at least twice as high.
The Russian offensive may lose momentum
Military analysts note that the Kremlin's territorial ambitions are forcing Russian command to stretch forces along the front. Newly created units are immediately thrown into battle to sustain the slow advance, instead of being used to form full-fledged reserves.
Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed the capture of 2,226 square kilometers of territory in the first half of 2026. Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War estimates the net advance of Russian forces, taking into account Ukrainian counterattacks, to be only 81.1 square kilometers.
Michael Kofman, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, warned that without an increased recruitment rate or a new mobilization drive, Russian units will again begin to atrophy. This could lead not only to the halt of the offensive but also to significant position losses.
Against this background, fears are spreading in Russia that the Kremlin may announce a new mobilization after the September elections to the State Duma. Some Russians are already checking plane tickets abroad or planning to temporarily leave the country before the vote.
We note that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has regularly spoken about the plans of the Russian leadership to announce a new wave of mobilization. The most recent such statement from Zelensky was made on August 8.
"Putin cannot yet find victory in this war. Unfortunately, we must acknowledge and understand what is happening. He is thinking about mobilization. He is thinking about how to deceive his own people. To carry out mass mobilization without declaring it. To arrange some back-door contracts, block the borders, and so on. We see this. We already see many corresponding steps," he said.
