This request, mentioned in the Ukrainian intelligence assessment, was allegedly submitted before the elections taking place in Russia this month and indicates a huge shortage of human resources that Moscow is facing on the battlefield.
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However, according to O. Ivashchenko, the request from Russian generals significantly exceeds what the Russian military could realistically mobilize and integrate at one time.
“In fact, the army can accept at one time – mobilize, arm, supply with food, train, and integrate – no more than 300–500 thousand recruits,” noted the Head of Military Intelligence.
According to him, this highlights a broader problem facing Russia: the search for potential recruits is only one part of army expansion.
New soldiers also need weapons, equipment, instructors, accommodation, logistics, and functioning units capable of integrating them into combat units, he listed.
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Ukrainian intelligence has previously warned that Moscow may accelerate mobilization efforts after the elections, as Russian forces are likely to try to compensate for increasing losses while trying to maintain offensive pressure in Ukraine.
An additional 800 thousand troops would mean an expansion far exceeding the usual intake of recruits and would put great pressure on Russia’s training and logistics infrastructure, O. Ivashchenko believes.
In his assessment, even if Moscow manages to gather such a number of troops, the Russian military would most likely have to induct these forces into service in waves, rather than the entire contingent at once.
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