Russia is unable to provide jobs for participants in the war against Ukraine after they return from the front. This is reported by Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
In 2025, Russian employment services, together with employers, announced that they had prepared 449,000 vacancies for war participants. However, only 15,000 people sought help finding work.
Of those who applied, 7,800 were employed — 52%. The rest remained without work.
The situation is even more difficult for former servicemen with disabilities and criminal convictions. Of 5,000 Russian “veterans” with disabilities, 2,100 found work, or 42%. Among 1,200 people with criminal convictions, 638 were employed — 51%.
Intelligence separately draws attention to remote employment. Of the 449,000 vacancies announced, only 775 provided for remote work. In practice, six people obtained such jobs.
Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service notes that these figures point to difficulties in employing war participants, particularly those with disabilities or criminal convictions.
At the same time, Russia continues to recruit labour migrants from non-CIS countries amid a labour shortage that has worsened because of the war against Ukraine.
From January to September 2026, Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs issued about 215,300 work permits to foreign nationals — 21% more than in the same period of 2025.
According to experts’ estimates, by 2032 the Russian economy will need about 12 million workers.