This is stated in a report by the UK Ministry of Defence on Twitter.
According to the UK MoD, the Russian authorities are preparing to launch a major military recruitment campaign to draft an additional 400,000 soldiers. It is noted that Russia presents this campaign as a drive for volunteers and professionals, not as a new mandatory mobilization.
However, experts say that in practice, regional authorities will try to meet their allocated recruitment targets by coercing men to join up.
"The Russian authorities have likely selected a supposedly ‘volunteer model’ to meet their personnel shortfall in order to minimize domestic dissent. It is highly unlikely that the campaign will attract 400,000 genuine volunteers. However, rebuilding Russia's combat power in Ukraine will require more than just personnel; Russia needs more munition and military equipment than it currently has available," the intelligence service summarized.
The previous day, a British intelligence report said that Russia had focused on trying to encircle Avdiivka, Donetsk region, from the south, but had made only minor progress.