As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, the ranks of the Russian army are increasingly being filled with older fighters, according to a new report by Verstka, a media outlet run by independent Russian journalists.
Government and military sources report a steady increase in the number of Russian contract soldiers over the age of 45 since the beginning of the year, a trend confirmed by data on Russian casualties. This is becoming a serious problem: older recruits struggle with the physical demands of war due to a lack of stamina and strength.
Another independent Russian media outlet, Meduza, reports a summary of Verstka’s findings regarding Russia’s growing reliance on older recruits.
Russian soldiers on the battlefield have two main complaints: a lack of ammunition and the growing number of “grandfathers,” as they call contract soldiers over the age of 50, according to a Russian lawmaker who regularly visits the front.
“The average age of military personnel has definitely increased,” claims a Russian soldier. “Fifty percent of the soldiers in our sector are old men,” wrote another, said to be stationed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
A soldier fighting on the front lines in occupied Donetsk expressed similar concerns: “Since the beginning of summer, our regiment has lost about half of its personnel near Chasiv Yar. They were either killed or wounded. They keep sending us reinforcements, but half the people arriving are in their 50s, maybe even older.”
A mobilized soldier near Luhansk sent Verstka a video showing an elderly soldier struggling to walk down the road. “These are the old men going into battle,” the soldier says while filming. “What is our command thinking? Why are they recruiting such fighters? People join the army out of foolishness, but recruitment offices should pay attention to this.” When asked how old he was, the elderly soldier responded—62.
“The number of older volunteer soldiers has been increasing since August, with some even in their 60s.”
An air officer fighting near Kherson described the situation with new contract soldiers as grim: “About 40 percent of the people are over 50. And three-quarters of the arrivals are elderly people. This is the reality. Yet, honestly, I would rather have such people than kids who have just finished school.”
The number of older volunteer soldiers has been rising since August, with some even in their 60s, according to a source in the Moscow mayor’s office, who cited recruitment data from the capital. He says that at the beginning of the year, the average age of recruits was around 40, but now it is closer to 50.
These older recruits explain their decision to join the army in this way: “Let the young stay at home”; “NATO tanks have entered Russia”; and “Everyone in my neighborhood has already left.”
Another senior official from the mayor’s office confirmed that in recent months, volunteers over 45 years old made up about half of all recruits from Moscow. However, he saw no issue with older men going to the front. “So what? They are in good shape, they are fathers. They have experience and can beat any young man.”
Russian military analyst Pavel Aksenov says the increase in older contract soldiers may be related to higher financial incentives and tough economic conditions in some regions.
The rise in older contract soldiers is indirectly confirmed by Mediazone and BBC data on Russian losses in Ukraine. This year, journalists have confirmed the deaths of 2,475 Russian soldiers over the age of 45, which is almost half of those whose age could be verified.
This represents an 18 percent increase compared to all of 2023, when 2,021 deaths were recorded in this age group, and is three times higher than in 2022, when there were 809 deaths.
The number of soldiers killed over the age of 55 is also rising significantly. This year, Mediazona recorded 597 deaths in this age group—50 percent more than last year, when 404 soldiers older than 55 died, four times more than in 2022. The oldest confirmed death was that of 72-year-old Mikhail Shuvalov, who died in 2022.
According to data reviewed by Verstka, more and more older soldiers are being killed each month—from 16 soldiers over 45 killed in March 2022 to 131 in August this year. Mediazona noted that the death toll in recent months is still incomplete and will grow as more obituaries are processed.
During the war, Russian authorities repeatedly expanded the age range for conscription and contract service. In the summer of 2023, the maximum conscription age was raised from 27 to 30.
The new regulation increased the age limit for reservists by five years, raising the upper limit for reserve service from 35 to 40 for first-class personnel, from 45 to 50 for second-class personnel, and from 50 to 55 for third-class personnel. Last year, the upper age limit for contract soldiers was also raised—from 65 to 70.