Vladimir Putin is risking a public revolt as he plans a new set of military call-ups.
Sources told Russian media the next wave of mobilisation could come after elections to the State Duma - Russia's lower chamber - in September.
The number of men choosing to fight in Ukraine has fallen by a third this spring, compared with this time last year.
As a result, the Kremlin is under pressure to replenish its faltering invading army after record-high fatalities of more than 30,000 per month.
Military and presidential sources told Russian media the idea of mobilisation was on the table for the first time since 2022.
In September 2022, some 70,000 Russians fled the country - roughly the size of the entire fighting force in Ukraine.
The mobilisation disproportionately affected the young and educated, with 85 per cent of Russian men under 35, and 80 per cent having some form of higher education.
Gaps in Russia's military are now largely being filled by detainees, with police offering the chance to fight in Ukraine to suspects rather than face jail.
One mobilised Russian soldier said the new recruits were "taken from prison, others from the streets".
Describing them as "disposable", he added: "Literally homeless. Criminals, and already so old and ill that they can barely stand. The kind of people you'd find hanging around pubs, the kind you'd see lying on the streets until recently."
Applicants have been misled by job posting for rear roles - such as drivers, guards and construction workers - before being dispatched to the front lines.
The ambiguous role of "peacekeeper" was also offered to recruits - when asked to describe the role, Russian recruiters said responsibilities consisted of everything from "clerk to cook".
But the recruiter eventually admitted the job was to assist on the front lines and do "various jobs, dig, unload, build a dugout, work as a storekeeper, something connected with peace... not necessarily killing there".
Mr Putin himself is reluctant to return to mobilisation due to the risk of revolt - it's said he would prefer to rely on lucrative pay and signing bonuses for volunteers.
Other sources in Russia said the Kremlin was more likely to call up reservists rather than risk mobilisation.
Ukraine has also been forced to endure attacks by foreign nationals fighting for the Russians.
At least 27,000 foreigners from more than 130 countries have signed up to fight for the Russian army so far, according to a new report by Truth Hounds, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and regional partners.
Job postings for rear military roles have been posted in China and Belarus, encouraging those over 45, retirees, with health conditions and without any military experience to apply.
Nearly half a million Russian soldiers have been killed since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to Anne Keast Butler, the GCHQ director.
One Russian soldier painted a bleak picture of conditions on the front lines as new recruits quickly abandon their posts.
He said: "We've been fighting for 300 square meters since about January.
"We're barely holding onto this territory. We're short of everything: people, equipment, drones. We're eating up livestock feed," he added.
Half of the recruits quickly flee the front lines, another Russian soldier said.
While one more admitted: "I had a friend who got drunk and went to the military registration and enlistment office yesterday...
"I really hope he sobered up today and can get out of his contract."
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