About 450,000 people have signed contracts to serve in the Russian Armed Forces in 2024, and more than 40,000 Russians have gone to the front in Ukraine as volunteers. This was announced by Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev at a meeting of the relevant interdepartmental commission, TASS reports.
"Let's summarize the results of 2024 and discuss what needs to be done to maintain the current pace of selection. The task set before us by the country's president last year has been accomplished. About 450 thousand people have signed a contract for military service. In addition, more than 40 thousand "our citizens have joined volunteer formations and gone to the special military operations zone," he said.
In August last year, the Russian Defense Ministry increased one-time payments when signing a contract. According to estimates (the intelligence does not indicate the source of the estimates), from January to June, payments to military personnel amounted to 8% of all expenses of the Russian federal budget.
We recall that, according to unofficial data, about 11 thousand North Korean soldiers are also fighting on the side of Russian forces in the Kursk region.
In September last year, the Wall Street Journal estimated Russian losses at 200,000 killed and 400,000 wounded, citing "Western" intelligence.