Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, has said that President Vladimir Putin gave an order to continue hiring contracted soldiers next year to secure the military the country needs.

Medvedev, a former Russian president, made the remark during a meeting on military recruitment on Wednesday.

He said Russia has seen 385,000 new soldiers join the services this year through October and many were contracted soldiers.

He claimed that around 1,600 people have been signing up with the military every day.

Russia has been intensifying its offensive in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, at a heavy human cost.

Britain's Defense Ministry released a figure this week indicating a serious shortage of soldiers that Russia faces. The ministry estimated that 150,000 to 190,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or permanently wounded since the invasion of Ukraine started in February last year.

In September last year, the Putin administration announced the mobilization of 300,000 in reserve. The move created a strong public backlash. Since then, the government has focused on recruiting contracted soldiers instead, by offering high wages.

Putin has apparently decided to continue relying on contracted soldiers to secure the soldiers needed in continuing the invasion of Ukraine next year, without causing a public outcry ahead of the presidential election next March.