Ukraine Eliminating 40 Percent of Russian Recruits Monthly: NATO Official
"Every six months, he said, "t
he Russians can recruit 130,000, but what they can form into units is 40,000." That 40,000, Salm said, can be used as an offensive force to capture new territories and impose Moscow's will on occupied areas.
The remaining 90,000 new recruits each month cannot be used as anything more than "biomass," Salm said. "They are cannon fodder; you use them once and throw them away."
"The Ukrainians are currently killing or severely wounding more than 50,000 [every half year]," Salm added. The current attrition—the real rate of which might be even higher, Salm said—means Moscow is losing a portion of troops equivalent to around 37 percent of those being newly recruited every six months.
"We are at the poker table," Salm said. "You need to believe in the statistics."