The British intelligence service published a review of the Russian independent publication "Verstka", which claims that the Russian military command is forcing men mobilized in 2022 to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense. The review was published on the British Ministry of Defence's Twitter page X.
According to the ministry, although the contracts given to Russian soldiers have an official end date, they could reportedly be valid indefinitely.
Those who refuse to sign them are threatened with being sent to a “meat raid“, where the survival rate is only 10-15%, the review states.
Intelligence suggests that Russia's efforts to force conscripts to sign permanent contracts are likely partly motivated by a lack of experienced soldiers, as Russia has lost an estimated 860,000 killed and wounded since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Latest Defense intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 21 February 2025.
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This has significantly reduced the number of Russian soldiers with more than a basic level of training, British analysts say.
In addition, as noted in the review, the Russian authorities are trying to reduce the potential need for further unpopular mobilization at home.
The intelligence service recalls that after the announcement of partial mobilization in 2022, hundreds of thousands of young and educated Russians decided to leave the country. This has had a significant impact on the long-term difficulties of the Russian labor market.
Previously, NATO noted an increase in losses among Russian forces in Ukraine: over the past year, Russia has lost more than 530,000 soldiers in killed and wounded.
British intelligence, based on statistics provided by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, called January 2025 the heaviest month of losses for Russia since December 2024.