Russian Armed Forces Personnel

Since January 1, 2023, over 117,000 people have been accepted into the Russian Armed Forces on a contract basis and as part of voluntary formations - Medvedev

https://twitter.com/vicktop55/status/1659555946799022081/photo/1

Some personnel numbers:

- 900,000 Russian regular operational forces at start of 2022 of which 25% would be conscript so 675,000 professionals of which about half could be used in the SVO
- 35,000 LDPR regular forces
- 300,000 mobilized Russian reserves plus another 20,000 volunteered (9,000 of the 300,000 were later sent home due to various reasons)
- 80,000 mobilized LDPR reserves (those attending higher education institutes later released)
- 70,000 volunteers present in the SVO was mentioned last fall (would assume includes Wagner forces)
- 134,000 new contractor's and volunteer's so far this year (no mention of how many from last year)
- apparently last year at first those contractors whose term was up were allowed to leave. However this was canceled by the summer for the contractor's but not the volunteer's
- minus casualties (deaths 20-25,000 plus about 4 times those wounded or) Had read about one of the field hospitals at the end of the first year anniversary and one thing stuck in my mind was that 1/6 of those treated were actually accidental injuries or illness. Understand the Ukrainian ratio is even higher. Some other information so far is that the average recovery and rehab is 3 months. Claim is that 97% of the injured are or will able to return to service (sorry but a little dubious with that one). Read last month about the Russian charity formed to help those seriously injured plus their families and they had helped over 7,000 so far.
- in addition there are the Rosgvardia and they have about 120,000 combat troops (SOBR, OMAN, Special Purpose, Special Motorized and Operational Purpose units). Suspect about 25% would be in or around the SVO at any given time.

So after Putin's media conference today, updated numbers:

Some personnel numbers:

- 900,000 Russian regular operational forces at start of 2022 of which 25% would be conscript so 675,000 professionals of which about half could be used in the SVO
- 35,000 LDPR regular forces
- 300,000 mobilized Russian reserves plus another 20,000 volunteered (9,000 of the 300,000 were later sent home due to various reasons)
- 80,000 mobilized LDPR reserves (those attending higher education institutes later released)
- 156,000 volunteers in the SVO, this number would fluctuate on those active in the here and now, as they seem to come for predetermined periods (would assume includes Wagner forces)
- 150,000 new contractor's during the engagement with a big push on since February (117,000 so far this year according to Defense webpage)
- apparently last year at first those contractors whose term was up were allowed to leave. However this was canceled by the summer for the contractor's but not the volunteer's
- minus casualties (deaths 20-25,000 plus about 4 times those wounded or) Had read about one of the field hospitals at the end of the first year anniversary and one thing stuck in my mind was that 1/6 of those treated were actually accidental injuries or illness. Understand the Ukrainian ratio is even higher. Some other information so far is that the average recovery and rehab is 3 months. Claim is that 97% of the injured are or will able to return to service (sorry but a little dubious with that one). Read last month about the Russian charity formed to help those seriously injured plus their families and they had helped over 7,000 so far.
- in addition there are the Rosgvardia and they have about 120,000 combat troops (SOBR, OMAN, Special Purpose, Special Motorized and Operational Purpose units). Suspect about 25% would be in or around the SVO at any given time.

In the "Military Medical Academy named after S.M.Kirov", the graduation of servicemen who completed the course of additional vocational education, who have limitations due to injuries received during the performance of tasks of a special military operation, took place.

The head of the Department of Military Education – Deputy Head of the Main Personnel Department of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Major General Igor Muravlyannikov conveyed the words of gratitude from the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Sergei Shoigu for the courage, bravery and bravery shown in the performance of military duty. The servicemen were awarded housing documents, certificates of completion of the course of additional vocational education, military ranks, certificates of a combat veteran and state awards.

The event was also attended by the head of the Western branch of the FSAU Roszhilcomplex of the Russian Defense Ministry, Yuri Maulin.

More than 40 servicemen were handed housing documents. Specialists of housing authorities have already selected and prepared places of residence in the selected regions of the country for officers and contractors who decided to continue military service after treatment, rehabilitation and professional retraining.

Ruslan Makiev, Deputy head of the Academy for Academic Affairs, Colonel of the Medical service, told about the program of further rehabilitation of servicemen and medical support at new places of military service, "In order to restore lost functions, modern prostheses have been selected, manufactured and customized for each of you. A course of training in the use of them was conducted. An individual rehabilitation program has been developed for each of you, according to which, in the future, measures will be taken to maintain the prostheses and replace them if necessary."

Also, the distinguished servicemen were awarded thirteen state awards, including four Orders of Courage, seven medals for Bravery, the Zhukov medal and the Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree with swords, earlier a Decree of the President of Russia was issued on awarding these servicemen.

The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation has decided to ensure the possibility of further military service by all servicemen who were injured during a special military operation (optional). The received new specialties will allow servicemen who have been injured to continue serving in new military positions in organizations of the Ministry of Defense.

A military position is introduced for each serviceman in military commissariats, military units, institutions and organizations of the Russian Defense Ministry. In order to complete military service in these positions, military personnel must be trained to perform their duties.

The training programs include:

the basic part, which provides for the study of federal legislation and regulatory legal documents in the field of state defense and mobilization work, as well as the activities of military commissariats;

the variable part, the content of which is aimed at training in the performance of duties in the position to which the serviceman is appointed.

The final certification of military personnel is planned in the form of an interview. Upon completion of the training, the relevant documents will be issued to the persons who have successfully mastered the training program.

All teaching materials, electronic textbooks and other electronic educational resources for conducting training sessions have been developed and are ready for training.

For the implementation of educational programs, qualified teaching staff of the Kirov Military Medical Academy has been selected from among candidates of sciences who have experience in the appropriate training of officers.

This is only one of the directions of a large-scale program of measures aimed at the social rehabilitation of wounded servicemen, approved by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The program also provides for measures to restore health and medical rehabilitation, an individual approach to determining further service assignment and a special procedure for military service, the provision of social benefits and guarantees, as well as housing.

https://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12472967@egNews

https://t.me/milinfolive/103595
It is reported that Major General Vladimir Seliverstov was removed from the post of commander of the 106th Guards Airborne Division of the Airborne Forces.

The reason for the removal is currently unknown, but the reason for this could be the uncompromising nature of the divisional commander, who was not used to being silent when defending issues regarding his personnel.

Vladimir Vyacheslavovich Seliverstov, at the head of the 106th Airborne Division, has been taking part in the SVO from the first day. At first it was the Kiev direction, where, then Colonel Seliverstov, also did not always agree with the decisions of the headquarters of the Airborne Forces. And since January of this year, Major General Seliverstov with his division has been performing tasks in the Bakhmut direction.

Hero of Russia, holder of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" IV degree with swords, as well as two Orders of Courage and a medal "For Courage", according to some reports, during the time spent in the NMD zone, he was not awarded a single state award.

MOSCOW, 3 August. /TASS/. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev cited data from the Ministry of Defense, according to which, from January 1 to the present, a total of more than 231,000 people have been accepted for contract work.

"According to the Ministry of Defense, from January 1 to August 3, that is, today of the current year, a total of more than 231,000 people were accepted for the contract," he cited statistics.

The system of selection for service under a contract in the Russian Federation has been successfully adapted to the conditions of the Northern Military District, Medvedev said at a meeting on the issues of understaffing of the RF Armed Forces.

“The task remains the same - to make contract service as prestigious as possible. To this end, organizational, economic, social, and technological decisions have been made in recent months. it is less important that it was possible to significantly improve the social security of servicemen and their families," Medvedev said.

He recalled that a one-time payment was established for contractors, credit holidays were introduced and their jobs were maintained for the period of service, "although it is still necessary to monitor what is happening in this area." "The imbalance in the amount of salaries of mobilized and contract soldiers has also been eliminated. Regional incentive and compensation payments have been established in all regions of the country," Medvedev continued. "The results of these and other measures are obvious," he concluded.

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NOTE: would assume the large increase over the past month or so would be on account of Wagner and other volunteer's entering the Armed Forces directly.

Since January 1 of this year, about 280 thousand people have been accepted for service in the RF Armed Forces. This was stated by Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev. According to him, they all signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

I am meeting with the heads of the subjects of the federation in person, bearing in mind the importance of this work on the resupplying of the armed forces with contract servicemen. According to the Ministry of Defense, since January 1, about 280 thousand people have been accepted into the ranks of the armed forces, some of them are people who were in the reserve, some of them are volunteers, other categories - said Dmitry Medvedev.

Recall that the mass start of the recruitment of contract servicemen in the ranks of the Russian army was announced at the beginning of this year. As emphasized in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the RF Armed Forces needed to recruit 300 thousand people. They were supposed to strengthen the personnel of the Russian group, which is participating in a special military operation in Ukraine.

Recruitment of those wishing to enter the military service under the contract is carried out in all regions of the country. Recruits are paid a one-time payment of 195 thousand rubles. In addition, monthly payments from 204 thousand rubles are provided for the participants of the SVO.

We add that now the units of the Russian group are successfully repelling the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian army in the Zaporozhye region and the DPR. At the same time, Russian units are conducting offensive operations in the LPR and the Kharkov region, approaching Kupyansk. In the confrontation with the army of the Russian Federation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffer heavy losses in personnel and equipment .

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Are there any news concerning the average or usual length of a contract soldier's contract?

In 2011 Medvedev allegedly said at one point the shortest contract is 3 years.
In 2015 General Vasily Tonkoshkurov allegedly said that contract soldiers will occupy positions for at least 3 to 5 years.
But then in 2019 there were media texts that some of the conscripts, instead of doing their 1 year stint, were offered and had accepted a two year contract. So called two-and-done contracts.

It's also possible such contracts are looking better to Russian MoD in war conditions, after 2022.

So question remains - is there any source that mentions either a mathematical average of duration of contract soldier's service contract?
Or a source which lists usual, to be expected contract duration since the start of the war?

eridan wrote:Are there any news concerning the average or usual length of a contract soldier's contract?

In 2011 Medvedev allegedly said at one point the shortest contract is 3 years.
In 2015 General Vasily Tonkoshkurov allegedly said that contract soldiers will occupy positions for at least 3 to 5 years.
But then in 2019 there were media texts that some of the conscripts, instead of doing their 1 year stint, were offered and had accepted a two year contract. So called two-and-done contracts.

It's also possible such contracts are looking better to Russian MoD in war conditions, after 2022.

So question remains - is there any source that mentions either a mathematical average of duration of contract soldier's service contract?
Or a source which lists usual, to be expected contract duration since the start of the war?

It has been reported several times including last week that all MoD contracts are for the duration of the SVO. Volunteers were not covered by this until recently when all had to sign MoD contracts. Would assume they too are for duration. At first they were doing contracts as low as 3 months but that caused personnel problems so the mobilization of reservists had to happen last year. Every 6 months they are to receive a 2 week vacation, travel time not included.

Serbs that came as volunteers, at first had to sign minimum 6 months contract, which is now extended to minimum 1 year. I'm guessing it is same for everyone else, since they are signing with MoD.

Volunteer units - reportedly over 40 groups ranging from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand each. Most seem to be in the 500-700 range.

BARS units - again volunteers but sponsored and recruited by Regional governments. At least 24 of them by my count and most 500-700 in staff.

1st Corps (Donetsk) - was 4 Motor Rifle brigades and 2 regiments but now 6 Motor Rifle brigades.

2nd Corps (Luhansk) - was 3 Motor Rifle brigades and 1 regiment but now 5 Motor Rifle brigades.

Mobilized Reserves (Russian, Luhansk and Donetsk) - over 60 regiments and 20 battalions. Around 25-30% are fully equipped Motor Rifle regiments while the rest are basically Rifle units designated for Territorial Defense. About a third of the battalions are for DRG operations. 10-12 of these Mobilized Reserve units are stationed in the Belgorod, Kursk and Brysank regions covering the Ukrainian border.

New Units:
- 2 Combined Arms Armies and 2 Army Corps
- 3 Motor Rifle and 1 Tank divisions (rumoured to be staffed as a Motor Rifle unit)
- 3 Motor Rifle and 1 Tank brigades
- 5 new Regiments to round out the Western District divisions into 4-regiments instead of 3-regiments divisions.
- 1-3 new Airborne regiments and 1 Airborne brigade being upgraded to a division.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 325 thousand people have been accepted into military service in the Russian army, said Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev , RIA Novosti reports .

“According to the Ministry of Defense, that is, from January 1 of this year to September 26, more than 325 thousand people were accepted in the interests of the joint group of forces,” he said during a meeting on the issues of supplementing the army with contract soldiers.

As Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported in August, almost 45 thousand Muscovites are taking part in the special operation and at least five thousand professional military personnel from Moscow have gone to the North Military District zone.

According to Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense Yuri Shvytkin , the Russian army today needs about 500 thousand contract soldiers to successfully carry out combat missions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at the Eastern Economic Forum that every day 1-1.5 thousand people enter into contracts with the Ministry of Defense.

https://www-gazeta-ru.translate.goog/army/news/2023/09/26/21369037.shtml?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, September 29, signed a decree on the conscription of Russian citizens for military service in October-December 2023. The corresponding document was published on the legal information portal .

The autumn conscription will take place from October 1 to December 31, 130 thousand citizens of the Russian Federation aged 18 to 27 will be called up for service.

The President also decided, starting October 1, to dismiss from military service soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen whose term of military service on conscription has expired.

The government of the Russian Federation, the executive bodies of the country's constituent entities and conscription commissions have been entrusted with ensuring the implementation of conscription activities.

“This decree comes into force on the day of its official publication,” the document says.

Earlier that day, the head of the GOMU General Staff Department, Rear Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky, recalled that the period of service as part of the autumn conscription will be 12 months . Conscripts will not be involved in the special operation and will not serve in the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, he clarified.

Earlier, on September 22, the head of the State Duma Committee on Defense, Andrei Kartapolov, noted that the autumn conscription for military service in the Russian Federation in 2023 will take place as usual . According to him, conscripts will receive paper summons to the military registration and enlistment office, but the fine for failure to appear at the commissariat without a good reason will increase from October.

In early August, Putin signed a law establishing that from January 1, 2024, citizens aged 18 to 30 will be subject to conscription for military service .

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NOTE: the 2023 Spring Draft was for 147,000 while the 2022 Fall Draft was for 120,000. A reminder that around 28-30,000 of those drafted each year serve in the National Guard, FSO or EMERCON armed forces.

Arrow wrote:Since the beginning of the year, almost 400,000 soldiers have signed contracts with the army.  Including almost 400k currently in active service with the land army.  In total, this gives approximately 800,000 land forces.  So we can already say that Russia currently has the largest land army in the world?

357,000 new contractors so far this year. India, North Korea and China would still have larger land forces.

About 410 thousand people have been accepted for contract service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation since the beginning of 2023, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said on November 9 during a visit to the Alabino training ground.

According to him, there is no outflow of people willing to serve under contract in the country; the number of such citizens is only growing.

He indicated that work to attract contract workers will continue next year.

Earlier, on October 26, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the pace of recruitment for contract military service in Russia, said that they were growing due to attractive financial conditions.

The day before, Medvedev announced a set of measures to expand the Russian troops , which will contribute to the effective protection of the country's independence and security. He also said that from the beginning of January to October 25, 2023, almost 385 thousand people entered service in the RF Armed Forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin set the staffing level of the Russian Armed Forces at 2 million 209 thousand. 130 units, including 1 million 320 thousand military personnel. The head of state signed the corresponding decree on Friday, December 1.

“The Government of the Russian Federation shall provide for the allocation to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation of budgetary allocations from the federal budget necessary for the implementation of paragraph 1 (resolution to increase the strength of the RF Armed Forces. - Ed.) of this decree,” says a message published on the Kremlin website .
The decree comes into force from the date of its signing.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that due to the increase in the maximum number of manpower by 170 thousand people, mobilization is not envisaged.

“The increase in the number of military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is being implemented in stages at the expense of citizens who express a desire to do military service under a contract,” notes the publication posted on the Telegram channel of the defense department.

The ministry added that the increase in staffing levels was caused by growing threats, including the ongoing expansion of NATO.

Earlier, in January, Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu said that large-scale changes in the Russian army would be carried out in the period from 2023 to 2026, including an increase in its number to 1.5 million people . In this regard, the number of training grounds in military districts and in the territories of new entities will increase, and their preparation will be organized to ensure practical operations of the troops.

On October 25, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev also announced that it is planned to increase the size of the country’s Armed Forces in 2024. According to him, for this purpose another army corps, seven divisions, 19 brigades, 49 regiments and one flotilla will also be formed.

In 2023, the number of military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, by decree of the head of state, was increased to 1.15 million people . The last time the strength of the Russian Armed Forces was increased was in 2018. Until now, there were 1.013 million soldiers in the ranks of the troops on permanent service.

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From January 1 to December 1 of this year, over 452 thousand people entered service in the Armed Forces (AF) of Russia. This was announced on Friday, December 1, by Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev during a meeting on supplementing the armed forces with contract soldiers. The event took place during his trip to the Siberian Federal District.

“According to the Ministry of Defense, in the country as a whole, from January 1 of this year to December 1, more than 452 thousand people were recruited for military service in the interests of the joint group of forces,” he said.

At the same time, Medvedev noted that active recruitment for contract service comes from Sevastopol, Chechnya and Moscow .

Earlier, on November 15, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced the early completion of the task of the Russian Ministry of Defense to recruit contract soldiers for military service. According to him, about 47 thousand people have already signed contracts in Moscow, including more than 22 thousand people this year.

Before this, on November 9, Medvedev announced 410 thousand volunteers recruited for service . Then he said that there was no outflow of people willing to serve under contract in the country.

On October 26, the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the pace of recruitment for military service under contract in Russia, said that they were growing due to attractive financial conditions.

Earlier, on October 25, Medvedev announced a set of measures to expand the Russian troops , which will contribute to the effective protection of the country's independence and security. He also said that from the beginning of January to October 25, 2023, almost 385 thousand people entered service in the RF Armed Forces.

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