Russia is set to lose over 1,000 troops a day through the winter as it fights a war on three fronts: UK MOD

But Russian troops managed to seize nearby towns and surround Vuhledar in June, in a sign of heightened pressure against the Ukrainian forces this year as Russian leader Vladimir Putin focuses his country’s economy on the war.

The Kremlin has been aggressively recruiting fresh troops to offset its losses and, in some areas, paying top dollar in sign-on bonuses that rival the US military.

Draft documents reported by Russian media in September indicate that authorities plan to spend up to 40% of the nation’s overall budget on its military and national security.

It’s unclear how long Russia can sustain that effort. Still, some economists say such war spending is the only thing keeping the country from a recession, as it becomes increasingly isolated from the world economy and suffers a brain drain.

Russia’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.