The number of Russians signing military contracts has declined sharply nationwide despite increased financial incentives, according to independent Russian outlet Verstka. Verstka reported on Wednesday that recruitment in Moscow fell by roughly one-third this spring compared to the same period in 2025, reflecting a broader nationwide decline in new contract enlistments.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The outlet reported that Moscow sent 1,708 contract soldiers to the front in April and 1,378 in May – about 1,000 fewer recruits than during the same months last year. “People are joining in small numbers, and motivated recruits are even fewer,” a source in Moscow’s city administration told Verstka. Sources interviewed by Verstka said the decline is not limited to the Russian capital and has been observed in multiple regions. A military source in Siberia told the outlet that recruitment figures have continued to fall despite unchanged quotas. “The decline started around two years ago, but now the numbers have reached a minimum,” the source said. Another source at a regional military recruitment office said authorities increasingly rely on offering detainees and criminal suspects military contracts in exchange for reduced legal consequences. Independent estimates cited by Verstka support the trend. Researcher Janis Kluge of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs estimated that between 800 and 1,000 people signed military contracts daily during the first quarter of 2026 – about 20% fewer than a year earlier.