Most Russian occupiers live on front lines for only 20 minutes, - New York Times
Once deployed to the front lines, a Russian Army recruit can survive for an average of 20 to 35 minutes. The main reason for this is the widespread and effective use of Ukrainian drones.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing The New York Times.
Losses of the Russian army
As historian Peter Frankopan notes, citing data from Russian military bloggers, the overall "lifecycle" of a Russian soldier once he enters combat is extremely short. From the moment of arrival at the training ground until his death in battle, 10 days to three weeks pass. The reason is that most recruits are sent into battle with virtually no training—it lasts only a few days.
According to Western sources, the manpower situation in the aggressor country is as follows:
- Monthly casualties: over 30,000 people.
- Total casualties (since February 2022): over 1 million people.
- Russia is losing 8 times more soldiers than Ukraine.
Due to the staggering death toll, the rate of recruitment of new contract soldiers in Russia has fallen by 30% this year. Currently, the Kremlin is managing to recruit between 800 and 1,000 volunteers daily, but doing so is becoming increasingly difficult.
To motivate Russians to go to their deaths, the Russian authorities are forced to take unprecedented financial measures. Upon signing a contract, the following is offered:
- One-time bonuses—up to $80,000.
- Debt forgiveness—up to $140,000.
By comparison, the average monthly salary in Russia’s regions is about $1,000. However, even such amounts cannot compensate for the fact that soldiers become suicide bombers within the first few minutes of battle.
