Britain says it is unclear how Russia will recruit more troops

Ukrainian firefighters clear debris from a factory destroyed by a Russian strike in the city of Slovyansk, in the wartorn eastern Ukraine, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s Donetsk region continues. Ukraine, August 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Aug 28 (Reuters) – Britain’s defense ministry said on Sunday it was still unclear how Russia would achieve an announced major increase in its armed forces, but the boost was unlikely to substantially increase its combat power in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week signed a decree to increase the size of Russia’s armed forces to 2.04 million from 1.9 million as the war in Ukraine enters its seventh month. Read more

The UK Ministry of Defense said in a regular update on the war that it was unclear whether this would be achieved by recruiting more volunteers or increasing conscription.

Either way, it probably wouldn’t have much of an impact on the war in Ukraine given that “Russia has lost tens of thousands of troops; very few new conscripts are being recruited; and the recruits aren’t technically required to serve outside Russian territory “. the ministry said on Twitter.

Reporting by Baranjot Kaur in Bangalore Editing by Frances Kerry

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