Putin desperate for more troops as Ukraine war deaths ‘hidden’

Vladimir Putin is seemingly trying to increase volunteer recruitment among the Russian population as the Kremlin attempts to "conceal" losses in Ukraine and domestic support for mobilisation efforts wains, experts have said. The Russian President is likely attempting to shore up public support for the People's Front, a state-backed political coalition of non-governmental organisations and political parties largely led by United Russia, the ruling party, and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine to increase voluntary recruitment among Russian citizens, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported.

The President has exhibited "focused messaging" on his country's supposed "overwhelming" support for Russian forces, which suggests that officials are "trying to combat issues with voluntary recruitment and societal support for the war", specialists added. The ISW adds that it has Wobserved indications that the Kremlin is struggling to maintain its voluntary recruitment rates", and "continues to assess that Putin remains averse to declaring another partial mobilisation [the call-up of specific groups of reservists to active military service, mainly targeting people with prior military experience and/or relevant expertise] out of fear of domestic discontent and remains committed to promoting crypto-mobilisation efforts".

This refers to increasing the number of conscripts and contract soldiers, recruiting volunteers and prisoners, and forcibly mobilising the population in the occupied territories.

It comes as the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) has ceased reporting on the number of deaths in Russia, which the ISW suggests is "likely as part of Kremlin efforts to conceal Russia's losses from the war in Ukraine".

Officials did not report demographic data in its January to May 2025 “Socioeconomic Situation in Russia” report, Russian opposition outlet Meduza reported on July 5.

In addition, electoral statistics researcher Dmitry Kobak reported in last month that Rosstat "refused to fulfill his request for data pertaining to 2024 male excess mortality and monthly deaths by date of death".

Experts note that they previously assessed that Russian statisticians are "concealing population data in an attempt to obfuscate Russia’s ongoing demographic problems", and the omission of demographic data in these latest reports "likely also aim to obscure the Russian military's high personnel loss rates".

The Armed Forces of Ukraine claim that, as of July 7, there have been 1,027,540 Russian casualties, according to Minfin. The BBC reported in May that more than 100,000 have been killed.

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) stated that Ukrainian fatality rates are also high - between 60,000 and 100,000 soldiers killed, and 400,000 casualties.

Experts also compared Russian advances to those by the allies during the First World War, detailing that Russian forces have moved forward an average of only 50 meters per day in such areas as Kharkiv, slower than during the Somme offensive.

Rates of advance have also been "significantly slower" than during such offensives as Galicia in 1914 (1,580 meters per day), Gorzia in 1916 (500 meters), Belleau Wood in 1918 (410 meters), Leningrad in 1943 (1,000 meters), and Kursk-Oboyan in 1943 (3,220 meters).

The CSIS added: "Even Russia’s rate of advance in parts of Donetsk Oblast, averaging 135 meters per day, has been remarkably slow."