The Russian army has seen a sharp rise in the number of older soldiers, with nearly half of new voluntary recruits being over 50 years old. 

According to the independent Russian newspaper Verstka, the average contract soldier in the army is significantly older in 2024 compared to the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as indicated by numerous reports on military personnel at the front lines.

Speaking to the outlet, an unnamed officer in Kherson noted that around 40% of the reinforcements are over 50 years old, with soldiers in Donetsk reporting similar figures. The aging personnel, many of whom struggle with physical tasks, are viewed as a burden by their younger comrades.

"Our regiment lost about half of our men [killed and wounded] near Chasiv Yar since the beginning of summer, roughly 500 people. We're still receiving reinforcements, but more than half of those arriving are over 50, maybe even more,” one soldier told the outlet.

Speaking to Verstka, a mobilised soldier in the Luhansk region expressed frustration over the predominance of "old men" being sent into battle, questioning the leadership's decision to deploy elderly recruits. He shared a video with the outlet of a 62-year-old contract soldier struggling to walk along the road.

A parliamentary representative visiting the combat zone also reported to Verstka that many soldiers have expressed concerns about the ageing forces, with some regiments made up of 50% elderly troops. The physical strain of combat is apparent to many of the outlet’s sources, with one soldier noting that older recruits struggle with basic tasks such as carrying equipment and digging trenches.

“They're all sick. Their legs hurt, their heads ache and they're slow," one soldier explained.

Despite these concerns, officials in Moscow have defended the recruitment of older volunteers. A source from the Moscow mayor’s office argued that these recruits remain "energetic" and bring valuable experience to the front lines. The official dismissed the idea that age is a significant problem, stating that many older soldiers can outperform younger recruits in certain areas.

The growing number of older soldiers is reflected in casualty reports, with data from Mediazona and the BBC showing a sharp increase in deaths among recruits aged 45 and above. Since the start of the war, 2,475 volunteers over the age of 45 have died, accounting for nearly half of the total confirmed fatalities in this age group. This marks an 18% rise against the total deaths in 2023 (2,011 fatalities) and is three times higher than in 2022 (809 fatalities). Notably, there has been a significant increase in fatalities among soldiers over 55 years old, with 597 deaths reported this year – 1.5 times more than in 2023 (404 fatalities) and four times the number in 2022 (152 fatalities).

The trend of older recruits joining the military is expected to continue in the coming months, especially as Russian authorities implement measures to expand the age limits for both conscription and contract recruitment. In the summer of 2023, the maximum age for conscription was raised from 27 to 30 years. Additionally, new regulations increased the maximum age for reservists by five years across various ranks, extending the limit from 35 to 40 years for lower ranks and from 50 to 55 years for higher ranks. For contract soldiers, the upper age limit was raised from 65 to 70 last year.