In the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Problems with Personnel: What a way out in the Ministry of Defense - ISW
According to the Institute of War Study (ISW), this is due to the growing difficulties in the completion of the Russian army, caused by a decrease in the number of people who want to enter into contracts and go to the front. "Russian officials continue to justify the Kremlin's decision not to make a conscription to an unfinished reserve, despite the signs that the Russian military is difficult with a set of sufficient new servicemen to replenish high losses," the report dated February 4.
At the same time, at the beginning of February, the State Duma of the Russian Federation made it clear that it did not consider the possibility of partial conscription reservists. The chairman of the Defense Committee Andriy Kartpolov stated that in Russia there is a "advantage on the battlefield", and the committee member Viktor Sobolev announced the signing of 740 thousand contracts for military service, but did not specify the time frame of the recruitment.
He also suggested that mobilization can only make the situation worse, as it would lead to the departure of unprepared soldiers to the front. In order to resolve issues of personnel deficiency, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation suggested reviewing the classification of a number of diseases that have previously made it possible to obtain dismissal. The list includes syphilis, hypertension, schizophrenia, psychotic disorders, skin diseases and some neuro-degenerative diseases.
This innovation can complicate the conscripts and contractors the process of receiving dismissal on medical indications. According to ISW, the Russian army faces a scarcity of personnel. At the end of 2024 and early 2025, it was reported that the monthly rate of the set is likely to meet or even inferior to the number of losses on the front.
At the same time, certain regions of Russia do not perform established quotas, as the population shows less readiness for voluntary participation in hostilities. We will remind, in the current situation, the Kremlin sought help from North Korea to send military units to support the army of the Russian Federation, but these forces have suffered great losses and were partially withdrawn from the front line.