Russia has begun luring people into war by writing off credit debts. In particular, they are offering to write off debts to those who sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense after December 1, 2024.
Points of attention
- Russia has developed a mobilization scheme that provides for the cancellation of loan debts when signing a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
- The Russian army's brutal tactics on the battlefield complicate the situation for the Ukrainian military and lead to great stress for them.
- Debt cancellation and lowering the age threshold for mobilization are attempts by the Kremlin to avoid large-scale mobilization and increased emigration.
- British intelligence has recorded a large number of dead and wounded among the Russian military, which threatens Russia's resilience to economic challenges.
- Problems at the front are caused by a lack of manpower in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which leads to an unfavorable situation for Ukraine at the state and military level.
What is known about the new mobilization schemes of Russians
According to British intelligence, the debt relief will be part of an expanded program called "Loan Repayment Vacation for Russian Military Personnel." The benefits will apply to loans of up to 10 million rubles (about $94,400) and may also apply to the wives of contract soldiers.
According to Mediazona, since October 2022, Russians have submitted 411,000 applications for repayment of mortgages and personal loans.
Intelligence notes that these financial incentives are aimed at attracting new contractors to compensate for the losses of the Russian army.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine — 30 December 2024.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) December 30, 2024
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/ffho8LM8Ws#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/1volmpSSgv
According to British intelligence estimates, the number of dead and wounded among the Russian military has now reached 760,000, and the average level of casualties in November 2024 was 1,523 people per day.
These measures are also designed to avoid a new wave of mobilization, which, according to the Russian authorities, reduces public support for the war and provokes mass emigration.
According to British analysts, the debt write-off will create additional financial pressure on Russian banks in 2025. This will be another blow to the already existing pressure from high interest rates and sanctions. As a result, the resilience of the Russian banking sector to economic shocks may significantly decrease.
What is known about Russia's new brutal tactics
According to foreign journalists, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are increasingly facing a shortage of manpower on the battlefield. Against this backdrop, the Russian army has begun to employ brutal and costly tactics.
The current situation on the battlefield was commented on by Dara Massicot, a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"What the units (Ukrainian — ed.) feel from the Russians is significant tension from Russian tactics," she emphasized.
What is important to understand is that the Russian invaders are constantly attacking the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in very small groups.
"It's death by a thousand cuts. This is a very big stress for units that are not staffed," the expert noted.
It's no secret that small assault attacks by the Russian occupiers, known as "meat assaults," have always created problems for Ukraine, but now the situation has worsened due to a lack of manpower.
Against this background, Head of State Volodymyr Zelensky was forced to lower the minimum age for mobilization from 27 to 25 years old.
Despite this, the team of American leader Joe Biden insists on further lowering the age threshold to increase the number of people available for conscription. So far, Ukraine is in no hurry to make a similar decision.
