Moscow is recruiting residents from poor and rural regions of Russia for its army in the war against Ukraine. Kremlin propaganda exaggerates the numbers.
The Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom reports this on Twitter.
As indicated in the summary, on January 11, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev stated that in 2023, 500 thousand people joined the Russian armed forces.
"It is quite likely that this figure is significantly inflated," the statement said.
According to British intelligence, to achieve recruitment targets, Russian military officials allowed school graduates to sign contracts with the Russian army from April 2023. The latest data, published by "Mediazona" and the Russian service of the BBC, indicate that at least five Russians born in 2005 have died during the war.
"It is highly likely that Russian military recruitment to sustain the war has disproportionately drawn from impoverished and rural regional communities of Russia," noted the Ministry of Defense of Britain.
