A recent assessment by the British Ministry of Defense revealed that Russia is appealing to “volunteers from neighboring countries” to support its forces in Ukraine, after heavy losses “incurred by both sides” on the battlefield.
The British Ministry of Defense said that Russia has been “appealing to citizens of neighboring countries with announcements of recruitment of individuals to fight in Ukraine,” including Kazakhstan and Armenia, since late June.
In the war that has been going on since February 2022, both sides have suffered heavy losses, but the Russian authorities have so far been reluctant to start a general mobilization of the population.
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In mid-September 2022, the Kremlin announced a partial mobilization of about 300,000 reservists, but it has not launched another campaign since then.
The issuance of a new mobilization order would raise discontent among the Russians, in light of Moscow’s efforts to “keep a distance between its citizens and the war in Ukraine.”
However, Moscow attracts people of Russian origin in the Kostanay region in northern Kazakhstan, and in Armenia, as it offers more than $5,000 in initial payments and monthly salaries starting at about $2,000, according to the British Ministry of Defense, which provides its assessments of the war periodically.
Kazakhstan and Armenia were satellite republics of the former Soviet Union, until its collapse in the early 1990s.
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From the UK Ministry of Defense statement:
Since at least May 2023, Russia has been approaching migrants from Central Asia to fight in Ukraine, with promises of quick citizenship. “There are at least 6 million immigrants from Central Asia in Russia, and it is likely that the Kremlin considers them as potential recruits.” Moscow likely hopes to avoid triggering unpopular mobilization measures before the presidential elections scheduled for next year. “The exploitation of foreign nationals allows the Kremlin to obtain additional soldiers for military actions, in the face of mounting casualties.” “Without a major new wave of mandatory mobilization, Moscow is unlikely to find enough fresh forces to supply the army with resources.”
Neither Moscow nor Kiev presents their total casualties, which are likely to be significant on both sides.
In updated figures published Sunday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army said that Russia has lost more than a quarter of a million fighters since the beginning of the war, in a statistic whose accuracy is difficult to verify.
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2023-09-04 03:08:37
