While fighting continues on Ukrainian battlefields, such as Bakhmut, and both sides prepare for counterattacks, the Kremlin’s war machine is in dire need of new recruits, the news agency reminds the British The Guardian according to
In the ads, the Russian military promises cash bonuses and enticing benefits. Recruiters make cold calls to suitable men, enlistment offices work with universities and social services to lure students and the unemployed into the army.
The call-up of 300,000 reservists in September, known as partial mobilization, caused panic across the country, as most men under the age of 65 are officially in the reserves. Tens of thousands fled Russia instead of reporting to recruitment stations.
The Kremlin denies that it is planning another call for what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine, which has been going on for more than a year now. According to a recent report by the US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War, the current calls could “avoid the announcement of an official second wave of mobilization” after the first proved so unpopular.
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