Russian Army: Falling Interest in Military Service

In the last fewer months, Russia has experienced a decline in interest in military service among citizens. According to data collected by investigative service journalists Vajny Istoria, in 2024 the Russian Ministry of Defence signed contracts with 407.2 1000 people, which is respective tens of thousands little than previously declared the Kremlin.

The number of recruits is falling
What is peculiarly interesting is that the number of Russians willing to fight on the front falls. In August 2024, Russian president Vladimir Putin raised the national bonus for signing from 195 1000 to 400,000 rubles (about 19 1000 zlotys). Nevertheless, in the last 4th of 2024, on average, the contract with the Russian army signed 1.7 1000 people a day, which is 1.3 times little than in the same period of 2023.

Experts: Putin’s message is “Political Clean”
According to Janis Kluge, a investigator from the German Institute of global Affairs and safety (SWP), presently only signed about a 1000 people a day. Vladimir Putin, on the another hand, late said that in the summertime of 2025 this number is to be 1.8 1000 a day. Military experts from the Conflict Intelligence squad (CIT) investigation group consider Putin's message of 50–60,000 fresh contract soldiers a period to be "purely political".

Reality and Kremlin Messages
Importantly, the findings of Russian journalists contradict Kremlin messages. In late 2024, Russian defence minister Andrei Bielousov reported that in the last year contracts for service in the Russian army had signed 427,000 people. However, according to the service crucial Istoria, this number may be overstated and the actual number of recruits is much lower.

Conclusion
The decline in interest in military service in Russia is an interesting phenomenon which could have crucial consequences for the safety and stableness of the region. Experts believe that the increase in recruits suggested by Putin is not possible without a large increase in the one-off contract signing bonus. Therefore, a spectacular influx of recruits should not be expected in the close future.

Numbers
* 407.2 1000 people: number of fresh soldiers with contracts in 2024
*1.7 1000 people per day: average number of contracts signed regular in the last 4th of 2024
* 1.3 times: decrease in recruits compared to the same period of 2023
* 50–60,000 people: Putin suggested the number of fresh contract soldiers per month
*427,000 people: the number of service contracts in the Russian army has been signed over the last year, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence.