Official: 127,000 sign contracts with Russian armed forces in 2026

Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said 127,000 people have signed contracts to serve in the Russian army since the start of 2026, alongside a further 10,000 who joined volunteer formations.

Speaking at the “Knowledge. First” forum, Medvedev said that around 450,000 people had signed military contracts in 2025, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

“In the past year, as a result of all military contracts, 450,000 people joined service,” he said.

“This year, as of today, 127,000 of our citizens have signed contracts for military service, and another 10,000 have signed contracts for service in volunteer formations. In essence, this is also contract service, although it is less directly linked to the Defence Ministry, even if these people are performing the same tasks,” he added.

By Aghakazim Guliyev