Official: Over 422,000 Russians enlisted on military contracts in 2025

More than 422,000 people signed contracts for military service in Russia in 2025, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has said.

Speaking at a meeting on the staffing of unmanned systems units, Medvedev said the target set by the country’s Supreme Commander had been met, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

“Two words again on last year’s results: the task set by the Supreme Commander has been accomplished. A total of 422,704 people signed military service contracts. These are the final figures we have,” he added.

A further 32,000 people signed contracts as volunteers, a video of the Security Council deputy chairman’s meeting posted on VKontakte showed.

In 2024, around 450,000 people signed contracts with the Russian armed forces, with an additional 40,000 joining volunteer formations.

At the end of December, Dmitry Medvedev said that one of the priorities for the new year would be staffing unmanned systems units. The creation of this new type of force in the Russian military was announced in November 2025. These units are tasked with destroying Ukrainian military equipment.

By Aghakazim Guliyev