Russia Escalates Coercive Recruitment as Voluntary Military Sign-Ups Halved by Late 2025
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 25
Russia Escalates Coercive Recruitment as Voluntary Military Sign-Ups Halved by Late 2025
2 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 25
Summary
Penza reports since June have shown plainclothes men trying to force fighting-age men into vehicles, while others were allegedly lured to police stations and pressured into signing military contracts.
Mobilization fears are rising because Russia is expected to mount a winter offensive, and human rights activists cited in the report say they are already preparing for a possible call-up this fall.
Recruiters are said to target vulnerable men — including addicts, debtors, migrants and the mentally unwell — as Russia struggles to replace losses and attract enough volunteers.
Late-2025 voluntary contract sign-ups had halved, according to IStories, while CSIS estimates nearly 450,000 Russian troops have been killed since the 2022 invasion.
The 2022 partial-mobilization decree remains in force, but analysts say Russia also faces a quality problem: it needs more trained drone operators and specialists, not just more troops.