Latest news with #VazhnyeIstorii
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
407,000 people joined Russian forces in 2024, but recruitment pace slows
Russian opposition publication Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories) has found that up to 407,200 Russians signed contracts with the Russian Defence Ministry in 2024, which contradicts the Russian authorities' statements about the flow of volunteer soldiers. Meanwhile, the rate of recruitment is declining this year. Source: Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories) "The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation is probably still overestimating the number of new contract servicemen. [Russian] Defence Minister Andrey Belousov said that 427,000 people signed a contract for service at the end of 2024, which is 5-15% higher than the budget expenditure data shows. Dmitry Medvedev's estimate of 450,000 contract servicemen is even more at odds with the budget expenditures," Vazhnye Istorii said. Over 407,000 people signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence in 2024. Infographic: Vazhnye Istorii Details: Vazhnye Istorii notes that the recruitment rate has slowed down compared to the previous year. In particular, an average of 1,700 people signed contracts per day in the 4th quarter of 2024, which is 1.3 times less than in the same period in 2023. Also, data from Russian regions show that the rate of contract recruitment continued to decline in the spring of 2025. However, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced a twofold increase in volunteer soldiers – 1,800 recruits per day. The recruitment rate of new contract soldiers to the Russian army decreased in the 4th quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year. Infographic: Vazhnye Istorii Meanwhile, German researcher Janis Kluge, who assesses the pace of recruitment into the Russian army, points out that "contracts with the Russian Armed Forces are now being signed by an average of about 1,000 people a day across Russia". Background: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine had estimated that the ground force of the Russian military group involved in hostilities against Ukraine in November 2024 totalled almost 580,000 Russian servicemen, including Kursk Oblast. In June 2024, Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed that nearly 700,000 Russian servicemen were fighting in Ukraine. In December 2023, he stated that 617,000 soldiers had been involved in the war. At that time, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) highlighted Putin's remarks, indicating that Russian forces lose approximately 20,000 personnel monthly in Ukraine. This number roughly matches or is slightly lower than the number of new soldiers Russia recruits each month. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Putin sacks commander-in-chief of Russian Ground Forces
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has dismissed General Oleg Salyukov as commander-in-chief of the Russian Ground Forces. Source: RIA Kremlin Pool, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency; Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories), a Russian media outlet Quote from the RIA Kremlin Pool: "Army General Oleg Salyukov, Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, has been dismissed from his post and appointed as deputy to [Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei] Shoigu in Russia's Security Council." Details: The name of Salyukov's successor has not yet been announced. Salyukov had held the position since 2014. He rarely appeared in public, and media outlets usually mentioned him only in connection with military celebrations. BBC News Russian revealed in 2023 that Salyukov's family profits from such events. His daughter-in-law, Dina Salyukova, owns HQ Agency, a creative firm that organises military and patriotic celebrations. Its main clients include Russia's Defence Ministry and the Moscow mayor's office. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK intelligence reports on how Russia recruits foreigners for war against Ukraine
UK Defence Intelligence has devoted its latest update on the Russo-Ukrainian war to Moscow's recruitment of foreigners for the war against Ukraine. Source: UK Defence Intelligence update on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Details: UK intelligence reported that, according to a recent study by Russian media outlet Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories), Russia recruited over 1,500 foreign nationals in Moscow to participate in the war between April 2023 and the end of May 2024. The majority of volunteers reportedly came from South and East Asia (771 people), followed by former Soviet republics (523 people) and Africa (72 people). UK intelligence suggests that the recruitment of foreign nationals into the Russian military is largely unsystematic. The update emphasises that most are motivated by financial incentives and the potential for Russian citizenship. "It is likely that many foreign nationals are recruited through Moscow due to the city's higher signing-on bonuses, and relative international accessibility," the update says. UK intelligence added that foreigners likely represent only a small proportion of the total number of recruits in the Russian Armed Forces, with the primary focus remaining on domestic recruitment. "Nonetheless, some recruitment of foreign nationals will almost certainly continue in the medium term as Russia maintains its current recruitment strategy, intended to replace heavy battlefield losses without resorting to a second wave of mobilisation," the update concluded. Background: UK Defence Intelligence devoted its previous Russo-Ukrainian war update to Moscow's latest large-scale missile attack on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Estonian Defence Forces Intelligence Centre believes that Russia is continuing its war of attrition, depleting Ukraine's military resources, with no signs of preparations for a potential truce. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Car explodes near Moscow: Russian Defence Ministry general killed, Russian media report – photos, videos
A car exploded in the town of Balashikha near Moscow, killing a general of the Russian Defence Ministry. Source: Baza, a Russian Telegram channel; TASS, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news outlet, Russian media outlets Kommersant, Meduza and Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories), Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Quote from Baza: "The person killed in the car explosion in Balashikha is Yaroslav Moskalik, a 59-year-old general of the Ministry of Defence." Details: The incident happened at 10:40. A Volkswagen Golf parked in the courtyard of a residential building exploded when Moskalik was passing by. The explosion reportedly threw the general several metres away. Vazhnye Istorii reports that the department where Moskalik worked is the main link in the planning of operations in Ukraine. Kommersant wrote that two people may have been killed – the driver and a passenger who was getting out of the car. Yaroslav Moskalik Photo: Vazhnye Istorii on Telegram Moskalik was 59 years old. The scene of the crime. Photo: Telegram channel Baza The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case. Baza reports that the car involved in the explosion had a surveillance camera installed. The blast occurred when General Moskalik left his home. Reports suggest that an improvised explosive device (IED) was constructed using VOGs, 40mm fragmentation munitions intended for under-barrel grenade launchers. According to Baza, the VOGs were distributed throughout the car, with the majority placed on the left side of the boot. The explosion sent shrapnel flying up to 300 meters. A similar explosion occurred in Moscow in December 2024, when General Igor Kirillov, Head of Russia's radiation, chemical and biological warfare troops, was killed in a car parked near his home. A camera had been set up to monitor his exit and an IED was attached to a scooter. The device detonated as soon as Kirillov left the building. The Mash Telegram channel reports that the last owner of the Volkswagen involved in the explosion in Balashikha was a 40-year-old native of Sumy, Ukraine, named Hnat K. He reportedly obtained his Russian passport and driving licence in 2015, in Karachay-Cherkessia. Hnat K. had purchased the 2000 Volkswagen Golf in February this year. Mash further notes that around 2014, Hnat K. worked at Azovstal in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. After the factory scaled back production, he frequently travelled to Russia for part-time work. He was registered in Khimki, near Moscow, and despite not posting a photo on social media for a decade, he occasionally made posts critical of the Ukrainian government. This news has been updated since publication. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
