British intelligence names the price of war for Russia
Kyiv • UNN
According to British intelligence, Russia has lost more than 610,000 troops in Ukraine. The rate of recruitment has decreased, forcing an increase in contract bonuses, but this is costly for the budget.
The war in Ukraine has cost Russia dearly, especially in terms of military personnel. Since the beginning of the war, Russia has suffered more than 610,000 casualties (killed and wounded), according to a new report by the British Ministry of Defense, UNN reports.
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Tactics based on massive infantry waves require Russia to constantly replenish its forces on the front lines with new recruits
The intelligence notes that in 2024, the pace of Russian military conscription slowed down compared to the pace in 2023. At the end of 2023, Russian officials claimed that the Russian Ministry of Defense was recruiting about 1,600 people a day. However, this year, according to publicly released data, the figure is about a thousand people a day. These figures themselves are probably overstated to some extent, according to British intelligence.
This led the Russian Defense Ministry to increase bonuses for signing a service contract in August 2024, which is becoming an increasingly expensive recruitment strategy.
"It is estimated that payments to the military accounted for about 8% of federal spending in the year to June 2024. However, the increase in payments is likely to boost the number of recruits for the remainder of the year," the British intelligence service said.
