Moscow needs masses of soldiers for its Ukraine offensive.
Russia does not say how many troops it has lost during the 20-month offensive, but independent estimates put the numbers well into the tens of thousands.
Moscow has launched an aggressive recruitment campaign, offering huge salaries and welfare programmes in a bid to recruit soldiers for its assault.
«The rate of recruitment for contracted military service has increased significantly. More than 1,600 people are signing a contract with the armed forces every day,» Russia's former leader Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of the nation's Security Council, said in a video published on social media.