Source: ISW
Details: The so-called volunteer military units of Russia are continuing to increase their personnel by recruiting women into the ranks of the Russian armed forces.
Analysts note that the former head of "Roscosmos" and the so-called "senator" from the occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia region, Dmitry Rogozin, stated on January 19 that the Russian unit "BARS-Sarmat" (Russian Combat Army Reserve) is recruiting specialists and unskilled men and women from all over Russia to participate in combat operations in Ukraine.
The review adds that this announcement came after recent Russian propaganda efforts that highlighted the recruitment of Russian women into various combat units of the armed forces.
Key findings of ISW as of January 19:
- The Ukrainian General Staff reported on January 18 that in December 2024, Russian troops used munitions equipped with chemical elements banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in Ukraine on 434 occasions, amounting to 5,389 documented cases since February 2023.
- Russian forces advanced in the Kursk region and near Kupiansk, Lyman, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, Kurakhove, and Velyka Novosilka.
- Ukrainian forces regained lost positions near Chasiv Yar and Toretsk.
- The so-called volunteer military units of Russia continue to increase their personnel by recruiting women into the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces.