The number of volunteers to participate in the war has increased significantly in Russia

The recruitment of volunteers to fight in the war in Ukraine is proceeding at a record pace. This is evidenced by the Central Bank's data on credit holidays for military personnel, which  …From July to September alone, banks issued 54.2 thousand new credit holidays for participants in the invasion of Ukraine (including contract soldiers and mobilized soldiers), that is, almost twice as many as in the same period of the previous year. Last year, banks issued less than 30 thousand credit holidays in each quarter.

Putin signed the law on providing credit holidays on mortgage and consumer loans and loans to participants in the war in Ukraine back in October 2022. Since the beginning of its validity, a total of 411 thousand holidays have been issued.

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The rate of recruitment into the Russian army increased in 2024. To this end, the regions increased the size of the one-time payment. Currently, the maximum one-time payment exceeds three million rubles. According to US intelligence estimates, cited by The New York Times, 25-30 thousand people are recruited into the Russian army every month for the war with Ukraine.

Analysts point out that by promising large payments upon signing a contract with the army, as well as in the event of injury or death of a serviceman, Russia significantly replenishes the ranks of its armed forces, avoiding the announcement of mobilization, because this entails political risks in the form of greater discontent among Russians.

Mediazona, together with the BBC Russian Service and a team of volunteers, is counting the number of Russian soldiers killed at the front, based on open data and media publications. By mid-November, journalists had confirmed the deaths of at least 78,329 Russian soldiers.

Prepared by: Sergey Daga