Russia's army is suffering losses, and yet the army is growing. According to a US general, the draft age plays a crucial role.
In 2023, Moscow increased the number of its front-line troops “from 360,000 to 470,000” This is related to the decision that Russia raised its conscription age from 27 to 30 years. Russia could increase “the pool of available conscripts by two million in the coming years” Moscow would then command “ the largest military on the continent,” which it is “well on its way to.” Russia is becoming increasingly “bigger, deadlier and angrier at the West,’ says General Christopher Cavoli, NATO's top commander in Europe. The US has been Kiev's main military supporter since the Russian invasion in February 2022. Ukraine has repeatedly stated that the war cannot be won without further US aid. The U.S. has approved the sale of urgently needed military equipment worth $138 million (127 million euros) to Ukraine.