Budget figures differ from the authorities' statements about the influx of «volunteers». From 374.2 thousand to 407.2 thousand people signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense last year, calculated «Important Stories» based on federal budget expenditure data. The discrepancy is due to the fact that in August 2024, Putin increased the federal payment for signing a contract, making it difficult to determine the exact number of recruits for the 3rd quarter of 2024.
At the end of 2024, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov stated that 427,000 people signed a service contract, which is 5-15% higher than the budget expenditure data show. The estimate of Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev at 450,000 contractors diverges even more from budget expenditures.
Compared to 2023, the recruitment rate decreased. In the 4th quarter of 2024, an average of 1,700 people signed a contract per day. This is 1.3 times less than the same period in 2023.
The publication showed a specific decrease in the rate of contract service recruitment using the example of Kemerovo. In the Kemerovo region, with a population of over 2.5 million people, the recruitment rate did not exceed the figures of late 2024 in any month of 2025. If in November-December an average of 30 people signed contracts per day, then in May of this year it was already half as much, about 15 people.
In Kabardino-Balkaria, from 9 recruits daily at the end of last year, it came to 6 contractors per day in May of this year. Meanwhile, the republic has one of the highest payments in the country, about 2 million rubles.
Data from the regions show that in the spring of 2025, the recruitment rate for contracts continues to decline. Meanwhile, Putin claimed a twofold increase in «volunteers», about 1,800 recruits per day.
In reality, contracts with the Russian Armed Forces are now signed by an average of about 1,000 people per day across Russia, calculated German researcher Janis Kluge, who assesses recruitment rates into the Russian army.
* Recognized in Russia as a «foreign agent» and «undesirable» organization.
Photo: AFP