According to an analysis by Politico, both Ukraine and Russia are suffering massive losses on the front. Moscow has lost 281,550 soldiers in the war in the first eight months of this year, while in February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky estimated that over 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the war and 390,000 have been injured. Both sides need new recruits, which are hard to find, so Ukraine and Russia have diversified their search methods.
The number of Ukrainian soldiers is smaller because it has largely been on the defensive, while attackers tend to suffer greater losses. Ukraine has also made greater efforts to save and treat wounded soldiers, the source added.
“This year, the front line has extended by about 200 kilometers. In addition, we have another 2,400 kilometers where there are no combat operations, but we need to maintain our troops there,” said General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the supreme commander of the Ukrainian army, to journalists in Kiev at the end of September.
Russia pays bonuses of 26,000 euros for new recruits
Some regions in Russia pay recruits a sign-up bonus of up to 2.5 million rubles (26,000 euros), but reports about the mortality rate and the terrible conditions reach Russia, which makes recruitment more difficult. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, estimated that Russia recruits an average of 31,600 soldiers per month, but suffers an average of 35,193 losses per month.
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