dazzling Ukraine’s offensive against the occupied territories Russian troops put in Ukraine as proof of his military might Kremlin. Kyiv took back the Kharkov province, and for the first time it was believed. one can win war has entered its seventh month filled with destruction and tears. Their victory on the battlefield opened the thunder box in Moscow. Many qualified voices there called for general mobilization and a formal declaration of war to increase the number of troops at the disposal of Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation.” And while the Russian autocrat is currently resisting changing the parameters of the war, his army is desperately searching. new recruits to replenish a seriously depleted army.
There is no reliable data on the number of casualties on both sides since the start of the war. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense argues that they are close 50,000 Russian soldiers died in the conflict, a figure that other observers have dropped significantly. In any case, there seems to be no doubt about the growth. Lack of personnel to fight in Ukraine. This led, among other things, to Russian military academies. shortened training time For cadets to advance their graduation date. “This was almost certainly done so that cadets could be deployed in the Ukraine operation,” British military intelligence said recently. “The difficulty of staffing is getting more and more serious,” he added in one of his daily war analyzes.
Professional soldiers are not enough for Russia either looking for volunteers all over the country: Cannon fodder for the Ukrainian trenches. And how the bait offers 3,000 euros per monthAccording to Reuters, a very tasty salary by Russian standards. In a central square in Rostov, a city in southern Russia, his journalists stumbled upon one of the mobile offices used by the military these days to recruit volunteers. Soldiers distributed flyers with camouflage suits and ski masks to inform the curious. “Contracted military service: choice of real men”, say leaflets.
Contracts of 2,700 euros per month
One of the officers explained to the agency that they are looking for Russian and foreign citizens between the ages of 18 and 60 who have completed at least basic education. “Patriot citizens choose to sign three or six month contracts To participate in a special military operation,” Major Sergei Ardashev told Reuters. The proposed minimum wage is 160,000 rubles, almost 2,700 euros, which in practice triples the average Russian salary.
In addition to the field work of the army, Moscow also job portals and classified ads Like HeadHunter.ru, Avito.ru or Superjob.ru in search of volunteers. According to the Netherlands-based Ukrainian War Victims Foundation, more than 50,000 Russian soldiers were reportedly deployed to Ukraine after they were recruited as volunteers.
But the matter does not end there, because the Kremlin is also mercenary friendly companies To enlarge their forces in Ukraine. Companies trying to ‘fish’ for recruits in Russian prisons. “Prisoners are being offered commutation in addition to monetary incentives,” British military intelligence said in a statement this week.
Wagner gets hired in prisons
Known for its involvement in Syria and various African conflicts, the Wagner Group is spearheading the screening of prisons. That same week, a video emerged of one of their representatives examining two prisoner columns to inform them of the supposed opportunity they might have had. “We’re just looking for stormtroopers.”, says Wagner’s representative, identified by the ‘Moscow Times’ and other media as Putin’s oligarch friend Yewgeny Prigozhin, who headed Wagner’s ‘mercenary’ army. “No one will ever be behind bars again,” he adds with a lengthy liturgy.
During the conversation, he also tells them: those who desert after being deployed on the battlefield will be “executed” and that if they are caught they will be given two grenades to use. “I’ll get you out of here alive, but you won’t always come back alive,” Wagner’s representative tells them. Between 7,000 and 10,000 inmates, including a man convicted of cannibalism, have been recruited by Wagner since the beginning of this summer, according to the Russian NGO Russia Behind Bars, which is dedicated to monitoring the situation in prisons in the country.