Russia recruits women into so-called volunteer military units – ISW

Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicate that the Russians are increasing the number of personnel in the so-called volunteer military units by recruiting women to the ranks of the Russian armed forces.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that.

Russian so-called volunteer military units continue to increase their personnel by recruiting women to the ranks of the Russian Federation's armed forces.

Analysts note that the former head of Roscosmos [State Corporation for Space Activities – ed.] and the so-called "senator" from the occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia region, Dmitry Rogozin, reported on January 19 that the Russian BARS-Sarmat unit (Russian Combat Army Reserve) is recruiting specialists and unskilled men and women from all over Russia to participate in hostilities in Ukraine.

The review adds that this message came after recent Russian propaganda activities highlighting the recruitment of Russian women into various combat units of the Russian armed forces.

ISW key findings:

• The Ukrainian General Staff reported on January 18 that Russian forces used ammunition equipped with chemical agents banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) 434 times in Ukraine in December 2024, contributing to a total of 5,389 documented cases since February 2023.
• Russian forces recently advanced in the Kursk region and near Kupiansk, Lyman, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, Kurakhove, and Velyka Novosilka.
• Ukrainian forces recently recaptured lost positions near Chasiv Yar and Toretsk.
• Russian volunteer military detachments continue efforts to boost human resources by recruiting women into the Russian Armed Forces.

For reference:

Reports indicate that Russia has started mass recruitment of women from penal colonies for the war in Ukraine. Women, being more susceptible to propaganda, tend to agree more readily than men.

To participate in the war against Ukraine, Russia released a group of women from a prison near St. Petersburg in late May. However, it is currently unknown whether their release is an isolated case.

Also, the Russian defense production sector is most likely resorting to using the labor of prisoners, trying to meet production needs in wartime.

It is worth adding that today, Russian "convicts" who went to fight against Ukraine, instead of being pardoned by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, now receive only conditional release, and they have to serve until the end of the war.