Ukraine-Krieg: Russen befürchten nach Wahl neue Rekrutierungswelle

Russian officials and Kremlin employees are worried that President Vladimir Putin might announce a large-scale new military draft for Ukraine following the recent parliamentary elections. Documents seen by Bloomberg News reveal Kremlin officials attempting to open foreign bank accounts and transfer assets overseas, while encouraging friends and relatives to leave Russia.

Despite Putin's denial, a European security official claims Russia is preparing to draft an additional 300,000 men into the military by the end of the year. Unlike the previous mobilization in September 2022, which prompted public concern and thousands of people fleeing the country, this time there may not be a formal announcement.

The Kremlin has quietly built digital infrastructure to call up soldiers and has blocked potential escape routes. In the first parliamentary election since the start of the war in Ukraine, the pro-government party "United Russia" appears to have won a decisive victory, according to early vote counts showing it has reached 57 percent of the vote.

However, Russia suffers massive losses in Ukraine while making minimal gains. According to Putin, around 700,000 Russian soldiers are currently serving there. The Kremlin needs to recruit about 400,000 soldiers each year to replenish its forces, primarily through high entrance bonuses and generous salaries. But with the war now in its fifth year, there are signs that the pool of willing volunteers is dwindling.

Janis Kluge, an analyst at the Berlin-based Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, reports that Russian regions recruited around 234,000 new contract soldiers between January and August, compared to about 260,000 in the same period last year. Russian military commissariats are restructuring to handle a larger influx of conscripts, according to a European official speaking on condition of anonymity.

Advertising campaigns encourage Russian men to volunteer to avoid potential compulsory conscription. Putin dismisses warnings of a post-election mobilization as "complete nonsense" and part of a Western propaganda campaign against Russia. "We have no problems with the availability of military personnel," he said on September 3 in Vladivostok.

"People volunteer and sign contracts." According to an informed source in Moscow, about 1,000 Russian soldiers are killed or wounded in Ukraine every week. In addition, many are wounded. The Ukrainian General Staff reported on Tuesday that 301,000 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded so far this year, with monthly losses rising to 42,000 in July and August.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military is facing its own personnel issues, with around 1.5 million men on police wanted lists for evading conscription, and approximately 200,000 Ukrainian soldiers absent without leave. Bloomberg News cannot independently verify these figures, and neither Russia nor Ukraine publishes official data on military losses.

There are reports of an increasing number of Russians fleeing to neighboring Georgia or Armenia after the elections. In August, Moscow accused Armenians of making "provocative" statements after Yerevan signaled readiness to accept Russians fleeing military service.