In order to get enough soldiers to the front, the Russian authorities appear to be relaxing their requirements for military service. Vladimir Putin seems to be increasingly indifferent to who fights for him and with what qualifications.
In eastern Ukraine, the Russian army is fighting its way forward bit by bit. In recent weeks, reports from both warring parties have increased that Ukrainian troops in the hard-fought Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts are increasingly on the defensive.
For its military success, Russia needs one thing above all: a constant supply of soldiers. And to ensure that, the Kremlin is apparently getting more and more creative.
According to a recent briefing by the American military think tank ISW, the Russian army is apparently considering relaxing recruitment requirements for new soldiers. Accordingly, the age limit for military service is to be raised from 40 to 49 years and requirements for service in armored and motorized infantry units are to be significantly relaxed. The “ISW” quotes a Russian military blogger.
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If that happens, ISW analysts say it would be another indication of the increasing desperation of the Russian authorities in their attempt to provide enough soldiers for the war. Again and again there are reports of miserable supply conditions within the Russian troops – from material to food to medicines. The morale in the troops should be correspondingly low.
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Photos from the daily newspaper Izvestia, which is close to the Kremlin, also show that the Russian president is apparently increasingly indifferent to whether the soldiers have the appropriate qualifications. There you can see reservists practicing with handguns and old D-20 howitzers 10 days before their deployment.
In general, it seems to be becoming more and more difficult for the Russian army to get enough soldiers to the front. In another briefing, the “ISW” refers to the spokesman for the Ukrainian military administration in the city of Odessa, Maksym Marchenko.
According to Marchenko, 30 to 40 percent of the exchanged Russian soldiers would refuse to return to the front. As a result, Russian commanders would be forced to send unprepared and unmotivated units back into combat.
A phone call tapped a few weeks ago by the Russian military in the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DNR) also shows how things are in some cases with the Russian armed forces. The conversation was published by the Ukrainian secret service. On the recording, DNR soldiers are said to be complaining that physically unfit people are being forced into service. A statement that coincides with the “40 percent problem” mentioned above.
