Russia is expected to exceed its mobilization plan for 2025. By early December, Russians had already recruited 403,000 people into the armed forces.

Axar.az reports that this was stated by Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate at the Ministry of Defense.

According to him, the main source of personnel for the Russian army is contract soldiers. However, he noted that Moscow is facing difficulties in the recruitment process:

“That is why they periodically increase the amount of one-time payments. This figure varies by region, but the sums are quite large. This is how they attract people into the army.”

The intelligence chief added that Russia plans to recruit 409,000 people into the army in 2026.