Russian Universities Set 2% Student Recruitment Target for Contract Soldiers

Rectors of Russian universities have been instructed to ensure that at least 2% of their students sign contracts for military service.

Faridaily reported this, citing the rector of a Moscow-based university.

The directive was issued by Russia’s Minister of Science and Higher Education during a meeting with leaders of the country’s largest universities earlier this year.

As of 2025, 2.2 million male students were enrolled in Russian universities. If the stated target is met, the Russian invading military would gain 44,000 students, the media notes.

Meanwhile, if the 2% target is also applied to technical colleges, a total of 76,000 people could sign contracts with Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

Students are promised they will be able to return to their studies after completing their contracts, and are also reminded of the high state payments and benefits provided to participants in the war against Ukraine.

Russian students have been encouraged to sign military contracts since late 2025. They are mainly being offered roles in unmanned systems units.

In late February, it was reported that at least 70 educational institutions in Russia had joined efforts to recruit students for the war against Ukraine.

Students and pupils are being put under pressure. They are forced to attend recruitment meetings, with threats of punishment for failing to appear. In some cases, students, especially those with poor academic performance, are summoned individually by university authorities and persuaded to sign contracts.

Meanwhile, human rights advocates and lawyers warn that the universities’ promises may not reflect reality. This is because students are being offered standard military contracts that cannot be terminated early.

An addendum to a contract that previously came into the possession of students at one college states that service specifically in unmanned units is not guaranteed – a contract soldier may be reassigned, for example, to the infantry.

It also was recently reported that, in particular in Russia’s Ryazan region, local enterprises have been required to participate in recruiting employees for military contract service.