Medvedev’s half-million recruit claim: Fact or fiction?

An additional 500,000 people are said to have joined the Russian army in 2023, according to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, while the British Ministry of Defense's intelligence service says this number is inflated.

Analysts note, "It is highly likely that this figure is significantly exaggerated."

Intelligence also considers it highly probable that the main mobilization burden falls on poorer regions and rural areas.

"In their efforts to execute the mobilization plan, the Russian military leadership allowed school graduates to sign contracts with the army starting April 2023. The latest data, published by Mediazona and the Russian service of the BBC, indicate that at least five Russians born in 2005 have died in the war," the overview states.

Recently, the representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (HUR), Vadym Skibitsky, stated that Russia is mobilizing approximately 30,000 individuals per month – around 1,000-1,100 per day. Even by these calculations, if you multiply these figures by 12 months, it doesn't add up to 500,000 individuals per year, as claimed by Medvedev.

See also: Ukrainian military shares video confirming recent downing of Russian A-50, Il-22 aircraft