The Stark Reality: 75% of Russia’s New Recruits Are Over 50

Today, we will discuss how as the war in Ukraine stretches into its fourth year, Russia is facing an increasing crisis in recruiting new soldiers. Despite offering record-high signing bonuses, recruitment efforts are failing to keep pace with the staggering losses sustained in combat.

For example, in October last year and following months, estimates indicate that Russia suffered up to 57,500 casualties per month, while only managing to recruit 20,000 to 25,000 new soldiers per month. 

This massive gap between incoming reinforcements and battlefield losses is creating serious problems for Russian commanders, who are scrambling for solutions.

Beyond the problem with quantity, quality is also a major issue, after most of Russia’s highly trained soldiers have been lost over the course of the war. 

What remains of the military is composed largely of poorly trained, underequipped, and unprepared recruits who stand little chance of surviving in the brutal combat conditions in Ukraine.

The Institute for the Study of War reports that the Russian military is wasting its best-trained specialists in assault operations, rather than preserving them for training roles or strategic operations. 

Additionally, new soldiers are not given proper instruction in basic infantry skills, such as delivering first aid, engineering- and sapper work, unit coordination, aerial and drone reconnaissance, and fire support coordination. This failure in training has led to catastrophic battlefield performance, with many recruits dying within days or weeks of deployment, which effectively deepens the crisis with more replenishments needed.

At the same time, perhaps the most striking development in Russian recruitment efforts is the heavy reliance on older men to fill combat roles. Recent reports highlight that 75% of new Russian recruits are over the age of 50. While this helps fill in numbers on paper, in reality, it creates serious problems as older soldiers are not always physically fit for the grueling demands of frontline combat, with underlying medical issues, slower reflexes, and reduced endurance making them more vulnerable on the battlefield. They require more medical support and are more likely to suffer from non-combat-related health issues.

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The extent of this is further highlighted by the fact, that even Russia’s elite airborne units, once considered some of the best in the world, are now composed of older, physically unfit personnel. This shift has significantly weakened Russia’s ability to conduct specialized operations, further hampering its battlefield effectiveness and raising the casualty rate. 

With recruitment numbers far below what is needed, Russia is once again turning to prisoners to bolster its ranks. In 2025, the plan is to recruit 126,000 prisoners, while estimates suggest at least 280,000 soldiers are needed to maintain the army’s fighting strength. However, there are serious doubts about how effective this recruitment campaign will be. Russia has already burned through huge numbers of prisoners in previous recruitment waves, and many remaining detainees are skeptical about their chances of survival. The reality of the war, where convict soldiers are used as disposable troops in high-casualty frontal human wave assaults, has significantly reduced enthusiasm for enlistment, even among prisoners with long sentences who have previously been eager to take the risk and enlist in the Russian army.

All these factors show that Russia’s recruitment crisis is not just a manpower issue, it’s a sign of deeper structural decay within its military. The quality of soldiers is deteriorating, training is insufficient, and casualties continue to rise far beyond replacement levels, which leads to Russian military leaders struggling to sustain combat operations. 

The situation has become so dire that they are resorting to increasingly desperate measures, including recruiting older men and prisoners, and are once again exploring the possibility of bringing in more North Korean soldiers.

Overall, with uncertainty about peace negotiations and the war showing no signs of ending soon, 2025 will be even harder for Russian recruitment efforts, forcing more extreme and desperate measures to keep the war machine running. But as the gap between combat losses and recruitment widens, it is clear that Russia’s ability to maintain its offensive operations is becoming increasingly unsustainable.

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