Russia’s Medvedev says 127,000 contract soldiers recruited in 2026
The Russian armed forces have recruited an additional 127,000 contract troops for the war in Ukraine in the first four months of 2026, former President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.
“Another 10,000 signed a contract for service in volunteer battalions,” Medvedev, who remains influential as deputy head of the National Security Council, said at an education forum in Moscow.
In 2025, 450,000 soldiers signed contracts to fight, he said.
Medvedev said Russian patriotism was behind the continued influx of soldiers for the war in Ukraine. Russia’s regions are now paying record bounties to lure more men into the war.
Recruitment figures are an important indicator of Russia’s ability to prosecute the war. Until now, experts expected around 30,000 new Russian soldiers per month. Medvedev’s figures correspond to a monthly rate of just over 34,000 men.
Ukraine’s goal is to render more opponents permanently incapable of fighting, that is, to kill or seriously injure them. This goal has been achieved in recent months, according to Robert Brovdi, commander of the Ukrainian drone forces.
