ISW: Kremlin May Resort To Forced Mobilization

The RF has problems with military recruitment.

Russia has criticized the ineffectiveness of its recruitment campaign for the Unmanned Systems (BSS) amid signs that the Kremlin may resort to forced mobilization of reservists to make up for losses in the war against Ukraine.

The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that.

Analysts noted a March 29 statement by a Russian military correspondent who said recruitment for the BSS has effectively stalled. He said recruiters are offering standard military contracts, making potential recruits wary of transferring to infantry assault units. He stressed that specialists in unmanned systems should not be used as part of assault teams and criticized the Russian Defense Ministry's failure to create modern and effective BSS units.

Another Russian military blogger supported the criticism, noting that the military leadership avoids introducing innovations it does not understand.

The BSS recruitment campaign started in January 2026 and was aimed, among other things, at students. However, opposition sources pointed out that the contracts offered did not guarantee that recruits could not be transferred to other units.

According to the report, the previous mechanism of recruiting volunteers with high lump sum payments lost effectiveness by the end of 2025. As early as January 2026, the recruitment rate fell below the loss rate for the first time since 2022.

"The blogger's March 29 complaints show that the Russian Defense Ministry's attempts to revamp the voluntary recruitment campaign, even for the Air Force, are failing," the ISW report said.

Analysts predict that the Kremlin is preparing for limited and gradual forced conscription of reservists, which will likely be aimed at maintaining the combat capability of Russian forces in Ukraine rather than increasing the overall size of the army.

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