2023-04-19 20:56:33
At least 53,000 Russian army recruitment ads have appeared on the VKontakte social network since the beginning of March until now, writes the European edition of the independent Russian publication Novaia Gazeta, according to The Moscow Times.
That’s a sevenfold increase from the number of ads in last summer’s campaign to recruit volunteer soldiers, which largely failed, according to calculations by Novaia Gazeta Europe.
The ads appeared on a wide range of public VKontakte pages, from those of regional governors, employment centers and local media channels to those of hospitals, libraries and even kindergartens.
Russia would have recorded tens of thousands of casualties in Ukraine, writes the independent Russian press, and the commanders posted there by Moscow are believed to be preparing their troops for the long-awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive.
The Kremlin wants to enlist up to 400,000 soldiers this year
Novaia Gazeta Europe writes in its article on Tuesday that a total of 75,000 messages promoting military service were published on VKontakte after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. And the vast majority of these ads appeared just in the last two months.
Almost 90% of the ads turned out to be related to the famous Wagner paramilitary organization, headed by businessman Evgheni Prigojin.
Russian authorities aim to enlist up to 400,000 soldiers this year, Bloomberg also reported in March, citing sources familiar with the matter.
And the British Ministry of Defense estimated at the end of last month that Moscow was preparing to launch a major recruitment campaign, “with the aim of enlisting an additional 400,000 soldiers”.
“You are a man – be a real one!”. What the new Russian Armed Forces recruitment video looks like
A new recruitment video produced and published by the Russian Ministry of Defense is urging would-be soldiers to reconsider their current careers in favor of a place in its armed forces, Sky News reports.
In a frame featuring a man who appears to be a personal fitness trainer, the following text reads: “This is where your power lies?”.
The full clip was shared by BBC Monitoring journalist Francis Scarr.
This new recruitment video from the Russian Defence Ministry is something else… pic.twitter.com/2Txt67jI2Q
— Francis Scarr (@francis_scarr) April 19, 2023
Photo: Profimedia Images
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