Overview

• The Institute for the Study of War, citing a Russian insider, reports Russia has assembled a strategic reserve since July 2025 with about 292,000 contracts signed from January to mid-September.
• Many new recruits are reportedly being held back from immediate deployment, a posture analysts link to reduced Russian losses reported in August and early September.
• ISW and other reporting note a tactical shift from mass assaults to smaller infiltration groups intended to pierce Ukrainian lines.
• The Russian Defence Ministry announced an official autumn call-up running from 1 October to 31 December 2025 for service in the war.
• Experts interpret the reserve as part of a long attrition strategy and say it could precede larger autumn or winter operations focused on Donetsk, while ISW also warns it could factor into planning for broader confrontation scenarios.