Russia quietly mobilizing million recruits annually in occupied Ukraine

According to the new law, from January 1, 2026, citizen conscription for mandatory service will be conducted without the traditional spring and autumn campaigns. The bill's initiators were State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Kartapolov and his first deputy Krasov.

Since Russia extends its own legislation to captured territories, the same fate threatens draft-age men in the occupied districts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions, as well as in Crimea.

"Now all men aged 18 to 30 living in temporarily occupied territories (TOT) are at risk. The invaders are forming a complete population registry to record addresses, control movements, and maintain records."

In occupied districts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, where enterprises—metallurgical and coal—were looted and virtually destroyed after the so-called liberation by Russian forces, recruiters from Russia are successfully exploiting this.

People are forced to sign contracts with Russia's Ministry of Defense out of desperation.

60% are people who join not from ideological convictions, but precisely because of the complete absence of employment opportunities in occupied territories. Industry doesn't function, there's no way to earn money, and accordingly, this is the only option artificially created by the occupation administration. The working-age population cannot realize themselves, feed their families, and they're given the only practical option—signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense.

Simultaneously, the Russian dictator signed a law allowing the mobilization of reservists to guard strategic facilities, including military and energy infrastructure.

This happened after Russia's State Duma expanded their functions in October. This hybrid mobilization will enable the Russian military to add at least one million people over the course of a year.

Let me remind you that on October 13 last year, a Russian government commission approved for further State Duma consideration a draft law proposed by the Ministry of Defense. It stipulates that Russian mobilization reserve servicemembers will be able to perform "defense tasks" during armed conflicts, counter-terrorism operations, or troop deployments beyond Russia's territory.

Commenting on the corresponding decree by the Russian dictator, the former Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate, General Kyrylo Budanov, stated that the Russian government's approval of the bill allowing the use of people from the mobilization reserve for "defense tasks" outside the country during armed conflicts signifies the Kremlin's preparation for a concealed "partial" mobilization.

"This is opening the door to what is effectively a concealed partial mobilization. Everyone must understand this. Why is this happening—the answer is logical: excessive losses. They need to compensate for them somehow. They constantly raise one-time payments. But when they take such steps—obviously, this no longer covers what they want to achieve," the general said.

Occupied territories won't remain uninvolved. For instance, in the Luhansk region, the invaders have already begun mobilizing the first reservists, although officially claiming it's only for guarding infrastructure facilities.

"The possibility of their deployment to special assemblies for protecting life support facilities, energy, transport, oil refineries, and other infrastructure only within their region is envisaged. Countering primarily drones. Deployment of reservists to special assemblies, as with other military assemblies, will be carried out based on a decree from Russia's president," stated the chief of the main organizational-mobilization directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, Tsymlyansky.

"Naming the exact number of Ukrainians forcibly mobilized into the Russian army since the start of the full-scale invasion is impossible. According to the Coordination Headquarters for Treatment of Prisoners of War, it's 46,327 people. The Main Intelligence Directorate reported about 60,000. The most—from Crimea, over 35,000 people. In Sevastopol—more than 5,000, and the same number in the occupied part of Donetsk region."

Thus, the Kremlin is not only replacing catastrophic losses in the Russian army but also solving the demographic question on captured lands by eliminating a potentially disloyal population.

Forced mobilization is another manifestation of Russia's genocidal policy against Ukraine.

Moreover, Russian forces send mobilized men to war against Ukraine without proper military training.

"The first task Russia sets for itself is to 'cleanse' temporarily occupied territories of the Ukrainian population," stated intelligence representative Andriy Cherniak.

Replacement of the local indigenous population with newly arrived Russian citizens from depressed regions and labor migrants is occurring. These processes are becoming uncontrollable. In the occupied territories of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, the concept of "women's villages" has emerged—settlements where male population is completely absent. The situation is difficult even at critical infrastructure enterprises—there's no maintenance personnel. At coal mining enterprises, women are being massively recruited for purely male jobs. This is evidence of a shortage specifically of the qualified male population.

Currently, Russian forces are trying to maximally recruit all draft-age men. The invaders are conducting intensified military registration, starting with those still sitting at school desks.

According to the National Resistance Center, in the temporarily captured territories, the invaders are forcibly recruiting children into Russian military institutions, preparing them for future wars.

The main reason for high losses is the tactic of mass drone deployment by Ukrainian forces, which effectively destroys both armored vehicles and manpower. Against this backdrop, the Ukrainian side has a well-developed algorithm for countering the adversary's advantage in manpower.

Let's analyze the dynamics of Russian troop replenishment and losses. From January to November 2025, 336,000 citizens signed contracts with the Russian army. Meanwhile, British intelligence estimates Russian losses for the same period at 353,000 people. Thus, the death rate exceeds personnel recruitment capabilities, even despite financial incentives—payments from 2 to 6 million rubles depending on the region. The program is oriented primarily toward depressed constituent entities of the federation.

Russia's Ministry of Defense was counting on replenishment of 30–50,000 people monthly without announcing mobilization.

However, colossal losses make compensation impossible even through contract soldiers and special contingent—prisoners recruited under a decree allowing contracts to be signed directly in the courtroom.

Specially for Espreso

About the author: Dmytro Sniehyriov, military expert, co-chair of the Public Initiative Prava Sprava.

The editorial board does not always share the opinions expressed by blog authors.