 Putin approved the recruitment of another 400,000 soldiers. Fearing to provoke popular discontent, the Kremlin decided to abandon a new wave of mobilization, replacing it with the recruitment of more than 400,000 volunteers for the war in Ukraine. However, government officials are concerned that this will exacerbate the shortage of workers in the Russian economy. The Washington Post writes about this based on Pentagon materials. Western intelligence estimates that Russia launched an invasion in February 2022 with about 150,000 troops. More than 300,000 were called up in partial mobilization last fall and another 50,000 are believed to be fighting in Ukraine as part of the Wagner mercenary group, including convicts recruited from prisons. Also, an unknown number of men were forcibly drafted into the LDNR units to participate in hostilities on the side of the aggressor. According to leaked Pentagon documents and according to US estimates, Russia lost from 189,500 to 223,000 people of which up to 43,000 were killed. However, Russia has not made any significant territorial gains since last summer, forcing the Kremlin to increase its troop levels. However, the new mobilization could alienate the Russian public and further destabilize the country's economy, which is already under pressure from Western sanctions. Partial mobilization last fall caused a mass exodus of combat age men from the country, reducing both the workforce in the economy and potential recruits. To shield Putin from a backlash against the recruitment of soldiers, the current plans involve the involvement of regional governors who are entrusted with the task of organizing recruiting campaigns. According to the Pentagon, Russia's immediate goal appears to be to recruit 415,000 contract soldiers, of which 300,000 will become reserves and 115,000 will be used to form new units and replenish understaffed units in Ukraine. However, the same documents say that the plan was opposed by some Russian economic officials who were concerned about possible consequences for the civilian economy.