In 2024 between 374.2 thousand and 407.2 thousand people have signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense, according to data from the publication "Important Stories", cited by the BBC.
The estimate is based on federal budget expenditures, with the discrepancy in the numbers due to the increase in the contract fee in August, which makes it difficult to determine the exact number of recruits in the third quarter.
At the same time, the rate of hiring personnel at the end of the year decreased by 1.3 times compared to the previous 2023, which indicates a clear decline in interest in conscription.
From the data of "Important Stories" it follows that the Russian authorities are most likely overestimating the number of new contract soldiers. In December 2024 Defense Minister Andrei Belousov announced that 427,000 new contracts had been signed, while Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev reported about 450,000 newly signed contracts.