Russia is losing about 6,000 more troops in Ukraine each month than it can recruit, western officials have said, despite an ongoing flow of new personnel to the battlefield.

Recruitment Gap

Officials estimated that Russia recruits about 1,000 people a day. However, they said the pace has not been enough to offset casualties in the past two months.

One western official said the difference between the number of people Russia loses to casualties and the number it can recruit is roughly 6,000 per month.

They said President Vladimir Putin’s response has been to broaden the pressure on Ukraine rather than rely solely on personnel replacement. Western officials pointed to an increase in strikes against civilian infrastructure and civilians.

Missile Campaign And Energy Targets

The assessment was that Russia is trying to wear down Ukrainian morale by targeting energy infrastructure during the winter. Officials said Moscow has fired more than 360 missiles since early July and has sought to take advantage of what they described as Kyiv’s limited defences against ballistic missiles.

Western officials said the Kremlin has few options to address the scale of battlefield losses through recruitment alone. They added that further mobilisation would carry major political and economic risks.

They cited the last such drive in autumn 2022, when about a million Russians left the country, often including people with valuable skills, with fewer than half returning afterwards. Officials also said it was unclear whether the Russian military could absorb several hundred thousand additional recruits because of shortages of equipment and officers.

Ukraine Appeals For More Help

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted facilities linked to Russian oil, which officials say has contributed to fuel shortages in Russia. Kyiv has also continued to urge allies to provide more support, including longer-range offensive missiles and additional air and missile defence systems.

Andy Burnham, visiting Kyiv on his first overseas trip as prime minister, told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the UK will share previously classified information about British-manufactured components used in long-range cruise missiles. Burnham also urged the international community to do more to protect Ukraine from Russian attacks, including by supplying more US-made Patriot interceptor missiles.

He is expected to press the case at the UN general assembly in New York next month.

Nato Risks And Possible Retaliation

In response, Russia has issued repeated threats of retaliation, including claims about attacks on UK military targets both inside and outside Ukraine. Western officials said the danger remains significant, but added that their view is that Putin is aiming to avoid a direct confrontation with Nato.

They described Russia’s hostile rhetoric as consistent with established military practice, saying it is used to heighten fears among opponents and influence decision-making. Officials said Russia still has the capability to strike the UK through cyberattacks or through proxies against civilian targets, such as factories or warehouses.

They pointed to last year’s conviction of six men linked to an attack ordered by Russia on a warehouse in east London housing aid for Ukraine.

Western officials said Putin’s overall aim is to continue a war of attrition, counting on allied support for Ukraine to weaken over time. They said public concern about Russian threats could contribute to that outcome.

One official said such threats are intended to help create a “fractured and more vulnerable Europe”. Another added that this approach is not new, pointing to Russia’s repeated references to the possible use of nuclear weapons in recent years to deter support for Ukraine.

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29 August 2026

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Desperate situation.

Perhaps the recruiters should

check the graveyards for.....resurection!

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Officials estimated that Russia recruits about 1,000 people a day. However, they said the pace has not been enough to offset casualties in the past two months.

One western official said the difference between the number of people Russia loses to casualties and the number it can recruit is roughly 6,000 per month.

There's no doubt that plenty of Russian troops are KIA, MIA, injured or deserted but the same can be said for Ukraine.

No wonder as many would be new recruits are in Pattaya and other places,

also, there were news that putin is planning to go to the russian banks and force them to land him money for finance the war and now many russians are pulling out their saving for the banks.

AI: Forcible military recruitment in Ukraine—locally dubbed "busification"—has escalated significantly due to severe manpower shortages in the fifth year of the war with Russia. While Ukraine relies on mandatory mobilization laws for men aged 25 to 60, aggressive tactics by recruitment officers have triggered widespread domestic controversy, public evasion, and violent clashes.

This happens in Ukraine whilst Russia pays money. Obviously Russia has the lager fighting age population which means a lot in a war of attrition which this unarguably is.

Burnham our new UK prime minister is helping Ukraine . An improvement on the fence sitting Starmer.

Good to see the Russian's getting some payback

25 minutes ago, jippytum said:

Burnham our new UK prime minister is helping Ukraine . An improvement on the fence sitting Starmer.

Good to see the Russian's getting some payback

The big problem for Russia is there are no Brit cities left to target, that most of us wouldn't be happy to see flattened. Wasting a nuke on the rural countryside just wouldn't get enough white folk for anyone to care.

More than 113,000 Russians cross into Georgia in a week as fears grow of new mobilization

https://kyivindependent.com/more-than-113-000-russians-cross-into-georgia-in-a-week-as-fears-grow-of-new-mobilization-politico-reports/

More than 113,000 Russians crossed into Georgia via the Upper Lars checkpoint last week amid growing fears the Kremlin is preparing to announce a new mobilization wave, Politico reported on Aug. 28.

The spike in border crossings comes as the Kremlin undertakes increasingly aggressive recruitment measures, expands data collection on military reservists, and broadens the mandate for the National Guard, all of which have fueled speculation of an imminent call-up.

Earlier, Ukraine's Presidential Office issued a warning on Aug. 27, saying that Russia plans to mobilize 600,000 recruits over 2026 and 2027, with 300,000 to be called up this year and another 300,000 next year, according to a briefing from Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR).

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

The big problem for Russia is there are no Brit cities left to target, that most of us wouldn't be happy to see flattened. Wasting a nuke on the rural countryside just wouldn't get enough white folk for anyone to care.

The whole point of Nuclear weapons as a defence is the willingness to use them, I would hope the first idiot to start that caper realises it will only be a few minutes before we all kiss our behinds goodbye.

Come, death come.

Edited Saturday at 03:01 AM2 days by Jeff the Chef

If Russia bombed the UK the Blast would most likly kill more muslims than true Brits

1 hour ago, Schoggibueb said:

More than 113,000 Russians cross into Georgia in a week as fears grow of new mobilization

https://kyivindependent.com/more-than-113-000-russians-cross-into-georgia-in-a-week-as-fears-grow-of-new-mobilization-politico-reports/

More than 113,000 Russians crossed into Georgia via the Upper Lars checkpoint last week amid growing fears the Kremlin is preparing to announce a new mobilization wave, Politico reported on Aug. 28.

The spike in border crossings comes as the Kremlin undertakes increasingly aggressive recruitment measures, expands data collection on military reservists, and broadens the mandate for the National Guard, all of which have fueled speculation of an imminent call-up.

Earlier, Ukraine's Presidential Office issued a warning on Aug. 27, saying that Russia plans to mobilize 600,000 recruits over 2026 and 2027, with 300,000 to be called up this year and another 300,000 next year, according to a briefing from Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR).

The other side of the coin,

AI: Draft Dodgers/In-Country Estimates: Ukrainian defense officials have acknowledged a massive scale of draft avoidance, with internal estimates suggesting up to 2 million individuals wanted or hiding to avoid military service. (CNN)

This is just the in country estimate so doesn't account for those who fled the country.

Considering the demographics that had already been looking bad (very low birth rates) before the insane Ukraine war started, it is safe to say that Russia will NEVER be able to recover from the loss of lives of this many young men in such a short time span. That will be Putin's legacy.

4 hours ago, dinsdale said:

There's no doubt that plenty of Russian troops are KIA, MIA, injured or deserted but the same can be said for Ukraine.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Ukraine is increasingly relying on drones for front line combat now, thereby minimising human casualties.

Drone parade showcases Ukraine’s remarkable military transformation

The use of advanced robotic systems has also made it possible for Ukraine to preserve precious manpower and defend large sections of the front with minimal troop deployments.

In addition to aerial drones, Ukraine has developed a wide range of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) that perform logistics support roles and carry out medical evacuations of wounded soldiers in combat conditions. This is changing the way the Ukrainian army operates in the field. During the first eight months of 2026, Ukrainian UGVs conducted over one hundred thousand combat support missions.

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/drone-parade-showcases-ukraines-remarkable-military-transformation/

Edited Saturday at 05:14 AM2 days by GroveHillWanderer

8 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Ukraine is increasingly relying on drones for front line combat now, thereby minimising human casualties.

Both sides are using drones and barrel artillery but Russia also air launches FABs (glide bombs) which are devesting. Both sides are suffering heavy losses.

On 8/29/2026 at 12:30 PM, dinsdale said:

Both sides are using drones and barrel artillery but Russia also air launches FABs (glide bombs) which are devesting. Both sides are suffering heavy losses.

Both sides are suffering losses but the Russian losses are much greater, not only in raw numbers but also as a percentage of the total population.

As the article below points out:

The Russia-Ukraine casualty rate has likely risen to nearly 8:1 in the first half of 2026

https://www.csis.org/analysis/russian-blood-and-treasure-ballooning-costs-putins-war

The Russian population is roughly 3.5 times that of Ukraine, but they are losing 8 times as many casualties per day. So their casualty rate, as a proportion of their total population, is more than twice as bad.

Wrong.

Russia is a gas station run by the mob pretending to be a country.

They're trading oil for North Korean troops and weapons.

North Korea needs oil, Russia needs cannon fodder.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by SiSePuede419
North not South

On 8/29/2026 at 10:54 AM, jippytum said:

If Russia bombed the UK the Blast would most likly kill more muslims than true Brits

London was voted the best city in Pakistan!

2 hours ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Both sides are suffering losses but the Russian losses are much greater, not only in raw numbers but also as a percentage of the total population.

As the article below points out:

https://www.csis.org/analysis/russian-blood-and-treasure-ballooning-costs-putins-war

The Russian population is roughly 3.5 times that of Ukraine, but they are losing 8 times as many casualties per day. So their casualty rate, as a proportion of their total population, is more than twice as bad.

If Russia was losing troops at an 8:1 ratio the war would be over and Russia would have been pushed back into it's own territory. As it it Russian troops continue to make gains. How can this be with such a huge loss ratio.

"Western officials" These are mostly very old men. They think war today is the same as it was in their youth. Someone explain to them that war today isn't fought with tanks and large numbers of infantry with bows and arrows, but with AI-powered drones.
In order for Vlad to buy more drones, he needs high oil prices, which were ensured by one not very far-sighted person who started a war near the oil-producing countries of the Middle East.

Do you know what's so special about information warfare? It's that the information space is unified. If you want to deceive a geopolitical competitor, you'll also have to deceive your own citizens. Because if you tell your citizens the truth, that truth will prevent you from deceiving your competitor.

That's why, in an era when AI-drones are determining the front lines, you'll read all this weird information about someone not having enough soldiers. It's just that before the elections, someone decided that if they whip up panic about mobilization, Russian citizens would get scared and turn against Putin. Thanks to Russia's new friends in Iran and Democratic Republic of Korea, Russia is adopting best practices for defending itself against all this—it's simply blocking foreign social media that are now trying to whip up panic about mobilization before the elections.

On 8/29/2026 at 5:37 AM, webfact said:

Russia is losing about 6,000 more troops in Ukraine each month

that's not enough... it should be triple that way Vlad may start to wonder