Russia's war machine struggling for workers

Russia is turning to African women and conscripted North Koreans to tackle its defence worker shortage, writes senior lecturer in international politics at Aberystwyth University Jennifer Mathers

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Russian attacks on Kyiv continue, but Moscow faces labour shortages in its defence industry

(Global Images Ukraine)

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has said Ukraine could win back all of the territory it has lost in the ongoing war, but Russia's president Vladimir Putin shows no signs of wanting a peace deal, or reducing the military offensive.

Instead, night after night Russia continues to launch drones and missiles at Ukraine, killing civilians and destroying homes, public buildings and infrastructure.

Russia can only continue this war if it has enough workers. It has one of the world's largest armed forces (1.32 million active military personnel), but recruiters face a challenging job in outpacing the enormous losses of soldiers killed or seriously injured in Ukraine.

However, the staffing needs of Russia’s military are tiny compared with its defence industry. Russian factories that produce weapons and equipment employ approximately 4 million workers - and have been suffering from a serious labour shortage.

According to a statement in the Russian parliament in 2024, the country’s defence industry needs about 400,000 more workers than it currently employs.

But how can Russia, with a population of 143 million, have a labour shortage in such a crucial sector?

There are a variety of reasons. An estimated one million citizens fled in 2022 - either because they opposed the war or wanted to avoid being forced to join the military - or both.

Although as many as 45% of those who fled are believed to have returned over the past three years, Russia still lost approximately 650,000 people from its workforce, at least for the duration of the war and perhaps permanently.