In a leaked video from a close-door government meeting, Alexander Avdonin, head of military recruitment in Russia's Republic of Sakha, revealed that soldiers were dying in significant numbers in Ukraine. The information, reported by Russian news outlet Siberia Realities, sheds light on the challenges faced by the Kremlin in maintaining its military campaign.

Avdonin highlighted that the Republic of Sakha had recruited the lowest number of volunteers among all the republics in Russia's Far Eastern Military District. They had only managed to meet one-third of their recruitment quota, indicating a significant shortfall in manpower.

To address the shortage, Avdonin urged officials to send 15 soldiers per week from each of the republic's 36 districts until the end of the year. The urgency to fulfill recruitment requirements was further emphasized with the mention that Russia's defense ministry and Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, were closely monitoring the situation and raising questions concerning the recruitment numbers.

Despite the efforts to ramp up recruitment, Sakha is still projected to fall short of the Kremlin's 2023 annual target by 20%. It is expected that the Republic will need to make up the numbers in 2024, according to leaked video footage shared by the Free Yakutia Foundation.

The Kremlin has faced significant challenges in revitalizing its mobilization campaign since the last call-up in September 2022. Mobilizations of troops in Russia have proven to be unpopular, creating difficulties for the government as it seeks to maintain a steady flow of reinforcements. These challenges are compounded by the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for March 2023, as the Kremlin aims to avoid any unpopular "policy moves" that could negatively impact the electoral climate, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence in October.

In August, US officials revealed to The New York Times that approximately 120,000 Russian soldiers had lost their lives since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. These staggering numbers serve as a grim reminder of the human cost of the conflict.

As the Russian military continues its operations in Ukraine, the Kremlin faces the conundrum of increasing recruitment to fill the ranks while striving to maintain public support amidst a challenging political climate. With the forthcoming presidential elections, the government will be under pressure to navigate these complexities while addressing the loss of soldiers on the front lines.