Russia is sending poorly trained recruits to attacks in Ukraine

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has reported that the Russians have sent poorly trained recruits into attacks despite heavy losses, in order to secure a better position in potential talks with Ukraine and the United States.

"The Russian military is reportedly generating sufficient forces to replace losses and is reinforcing the size of the Russian force grouping in Ukraine, despite experiencing an increasing rate of casualties per square kilometer gained," the ISW said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be accepting significant losses in exchange for diminishing returns to make advances on the battlefield, and to manage perceptions about Russia's military capabilities to pressure Ukraine in negotiations.

Putin stated on May 13 that between 50,000 and 60,000 people are voluntarily joining the Russian army each month, the Telegraph reports.

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ISW believes that both Russian and Ukrainian statements regarding the size of the Russian army indicate that Russia can generate sufficient forces to replace losses, while simultaneously increasing the overall size of its troop grouping in Ukraine.

Thus, Russia continues to suffer personnel losses comparable to the levels experienced by Russian forces during the intensified offensive actions in the fall of 2024, despite a slowdown in the pace of progress during the first four months of 2025.

Russian forces are likely to be able to maintain their replacement rate and expand their troop presence in Ukraine by quickly deploying poorly trained personnel to frontline units.

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ISW noted that newly recruited Russian soldiers often undergo only a month of training before being sent to Ukraine.

“The Russian military is currently prioritizing sending poorly trained recruits into attacks to make strong advances – despite facing a higher casualty rate per square kilometer gained,” ISW was told, among other things.

In addition, Russia is trying to prolong the talks in order to win more concessions from the United States, while simultaneously making further advances on the battlefield. /Telegraph