With the Russo-Ukrainian War having entered its 33rd month, conditions of each side of the frontline have continued to worsen. Both Russia and Ukraine are in need of new recruits to bolster numbers, with Estonian analyst Artur Rehi highlighting how grim things have become.
In a thread posted to X (formerly Twitter), Rehi made the bold claim that the average life expectancy of a new Russian recruit is anywhere from just two weeks to one month – and that’s not once they reach the front. Instead, it’s when they sign their contract, as they receive little-to-no training upon enlisting.
Rehi went on to explain that, as the Russian military continues to advance toward Kurakhove, Rozdolne and Velyka Novosilka, daily losses are growing to as much as 1,600 soldiers a day, which is “twice as many as exactly a year ago.” Forbes reports daily casualties in recent months were around 1,500, meaning total Russian losses continue to grow at an unprecedented rate.
Officials in the United States and Ukraine have reported Russia’s overall casualty numbers since the conflict began range from between 600,000 and 730,000.
Despite the total number of losses, Russia doesn’t appear to be slowing down its offensive anytime soon. A particular focus has been placed on the Donetsk region, where the country’s military has launched attack after attack. While these have been largely effective in pushing back the Ukrainian forces, they’ve come at a high cost of human life.
Separately, Ukrainian X user Evgen Istrebin shared what a new recruit can expect to receive once they’ve enlisted. With the one-time payment reportedly increasing by 150 thousand rubles month over month, a new soldier now receives 2.47 million rubles as of November 2024, equivalent to just over $23,000 USD. This is according to publicly available records.
Russian newspaper Kommersant had previously reported that military officials in the Russian city of Belgorod had “tripled” the payment troops receive from the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation to 2.6 million rubles.
Since the Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2022, Russia’s wartime spending has risen to over six percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), with the increase causing its annual inflation to balloon to eight percent.
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The Bank of Russia also recently raised its key interest rate to 21 percent, with the nation’s economy hitting a point where the ruble is now worth just a third of what it was this past August.