Many Demobilized Veterans of Putin’s War are Returning to Fight Again in Russian Army in Ukraine

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Jan. 15 – Despite Putin’s promises to make veterans of his war in Ukraine Russia’s new elite and to ensure that all of them find a place after demobilization, many veterans after only a few weeks or months are signing military contracts and returning to Russian units in Ukraine.

            The exact numbers of men who have done so have not been published, but a human rights ombudsman in Sverdlovsk Oblast says that approximately half of Russian soldiers after demobilization are making a decision to return to military service as professional soldiers (svpressa.ru/war21/article/498733/).

            Official Russian media are playing up their decisions to do so as a display of patriotism that no other country can touch. There may be some cases in which such feelings do play a role. But in fact, both difficulties in finding work and fitting back  into civilian life and the appeal of large bonuses if such veterans sign up likely are more important factors.

            Joblessness among veterans is high (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/06/more-than-40-percent-of-russian.html).  Hostility to them among the civilian population because so many veterans are committing crimes (https://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2025/08/putin-recruited-criminals-to-fight-in.html).   

And there certainly is no question that the Russian army is likely pleased to get those with training and experience back into service and views bonuses paid to them as opposed to bonuses paid to men without such backgrounds as particularly cost effective at a time of budgetary stringency and a shortage of manpower (svpressa.ru/war21/article/498733/).