Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Especially the Russian youth is refusing to enlist.
Keeping a massive war machine running requires a constant stream of new bodies to fill the ranks. But getting people to sign up for a brutal conflict is becoming a major headache for the Kremlin.
According to recent intelligence, the pool of willing volunteers is rapidly drying up, and the Russian military is struggling to meet its enlistment goals for the year.
Behind schedule
A new report by Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU) reveals that Moscow’s recruitment drive is lagging far behind schedule.
By early July, Russia had signed up roughly 195,000 contract soldiers. That is less than half of its annual target of 409,000 troops and falls short of the 204,500 planned for the first half of the year.
The daily intake has slowed to fewer than 1,100 new recruits. During the previous two years, recruiters consistently signed up about 1,200 people every day.
To make up for the shortfall, military officials have lowered medical standards to rush recruits to the front lines, the SZRU reports.
These desperate measures align with staggering numbers on the battlefield. Ukrainian intelligence estimates that Russia lost about 196,700 personnel in the first half of 2026 alone, meaning new recruits are barely replacing battlefield losses.
Youth say no
In a bid to boost numbers, the Kremlin set its sights on college campuses. It hoped to enlist more than 50,000 students.
But heavy propaganda and administrative pressure failed to sway the younger generation. Only one in 400 students agreed to sign a contract, leading the intelligence agency to state that “Russia’s youth does not want to fight.”
The intelligence report does not say how many students have actually enlisted.
Faced with widespread domestic resistance, Russian military planners have turned their attention toward vulnerable minority groups. They are heavily targeting indigenous populations in places like Bashkortostan and Tatarstan.
Additionally, Moscow plans to force 7,900 residents of occupied Ukrainian territories into combat, directly violating international law.
