MOSCOW, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Russian Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday that 422,704 people had signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces last year, state news agencies
Russian Army Sees Drop in Contract Sign-Ups to 422,704 in 2025
Overview of Russian Military Recruitment Trends
MOSCOW, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Russian Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday that 422,704 people had signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces last year, state news agencies reported.
Comparison with Previous Year
The number of sign-ups is lower than in 2024, when about 450,000 people signed contracts to join the Russian army.
Role of Drone Operators in Recruitment
Medvedev, a former Russian president, was speaking at a meeting of fellow security officials about drone technology in video shared by Russian news agencies.
Volunteer Brigades Participation
President Vladimir Putin said in his end-of-year news conference in December that recruitment among drone operators was particularly strong in 2025.
Some 32,000 people had also joined volunteer brigades and gone off to fight in Ukraine last year, Medvedev added on Friday, according to news agencies.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Gleb Bryanski)
