Western officials believe that the Kremlin is not confident it has support in Russia’s largest cities for conscription or mass mobilization, it has been reported. Since the launch of the invasion in February the Kremlin has referred to its military action in Ukraine as a “special military operation” rather than a war.
In practice, it means it has officially avoided deploying conscripts and mobilizing the general population to fight.
As a result, however, it seems that Moscow is taking desperate measures to avoid a collapse in its troop numbers.
According to Russian officials, the military is emphasizing “very active recruitment” among the poorest Russians, the Telegraph reported.
Efforts are also being made to recruit inmates and allow older people to join.
According to sources, the military has stayed away from the larger cities where support for the war is lower.
The Defense Ministry explained on Tuesday that the victims are forcing Moscow into “non-traditional recruitment”, pointing out that it was having problems hiring.
They said, “This includes recruiting personnel from Russian prisons for the Wagner Private Military Company.
“If true, this move likely points to difficulties in replacing the significant numbers of Russian casualties.”
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Officials also said they don’t believe the real economic impact of Western sanctions will be felt until the fall.
Since the start of the war, there has been persistent speculation that Vladimir Putin could call for a full mobilization.
However, this is something the Russian president has avoided even as his military struggles to gain ground.
British intelligence last month estimated that 55 percent of Russia-backed separatist forces in Donetsk were lost.
According to reports, morale is also very low in the Russian military, with new recruits receiving only three to seven days of training before being sent into battle.
The defense ministry also said on Monday that exhaustion will likely be another factor preventing Russian forces from advancing.
They said: “The lack of planned interruptions to intense combat conditions is most likely one of the most damaging of the many personnel issues that the Russian Defense Ministry is struggling to rectify among the deployed forces.”