As the war in Ukraine approaches its fourth year, the Kremlin is caught in a costly “battle for military resources survival.” In an effort to cover up the significant casualties on the front lines and avoid triggering a second national mobilization, the Russian authorities are recruiting “volunteers” globally through various means including money, freedom, and nationality.
However, reports from media outlets like the Associated Press indicate that behind these seemingly generous promises lie widespread deception tactics and extremely high battlefield risks.
While the Russian government tightly conceals battlefield losses, international assessments are alarming. According to the Associated Press, the UK Ministry of Defense estimated last summer that the total casualties (including deaths and injuries) of the Russian military may have exceeded one million.
At the same time, independent Russian media outlets like Mediazona and the BBC have confirmed the specific identities of over 160,000 deceased Russian soldiers through social media and public information verification. Among them, at least over 550 soldiers hail from 24 countries worldwide, mostly attracted by the promising future Russia offered.
The Russian authorities have been against issuing broad compulsory conscription orders, instead relying on so-called “voluntary enlistment.” For ordinary Russians, the enlistment bonus is packaged as “wealth to change lives.” In regions like Khanty-Mansi, the government offers enlistment bonuses of up to $50,000, more than twice the local average annual salary.
However, this “pie” isn’t easy to get a slice of. Activists have pointed out to the Associated Press that while recruits are promised a one-year fixed contract, under Putin’s decree, all military contracts are effectively automatically extended indefinitely in wartime. Once soldiers sign up, unless severely disabled or reach the age limit, it’s nearly impossible to be granted retirement.
To prevent another large-scale national mobilization, the Russian military has inherited and expanded the Wagner Group’s strategy of “prisoner exchange for freedom.” Now, the law not only allows for recruiting convicted prisoners but even suspects in custody can be exempt from criminal charges by signing contracts to go to the battlefield.
For those in harsh prison environments, this seems like a path to freedom. But lacking sufficient training, they are promptly sent to the frontline.
Foreign nationals and immigrants are key targets for Russia’s recruitment of “volunteers.” Official promises of quick citizenship upon enlistment often involve fraud and coercion.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud disclosed to the Associated Press that many Nepalese youths were deceived into job opportunities in Russia by recruiters, only to have their passports confiscated and forced to sign military contracts. Additionally, Russian police frequently conduct raids in immigrant communities, threatening newly naturalized citizens: if they don’t serve, their Russian citizenship will be revoked. This pressure leaves immigrants with no choice but to become “volunteers.”
As the war continues, this “diverse” conscription campaign has put immense inflation pressure on Russia’s finances. The Wall Street Journal’s analysis points out that Putin is embroiled in a “labor competition” with the private sector. To maintain the current 700,000 troops in the Ukrainian operation, the Russian military has to continuously raise the stakes, leading to uncontrollable domestic inflation and a heavy financial burden.
Reuters cited intelligence sources saying that 12,000 to 15,000 soldiers dispatched by North Korea have also been incorporated into the Russian military to ease local recruitment pressure.
The aid organization “Get Lost” highlights that these foreign novice soldiers are in the most dire situation. Most of them don’t speak Russian, lack any military experience, and are often seen by military commanders as “disposable commodities.”
Kateryna Stepanenko, a researcher at the Washington Institute for the Study of War, points out that despite the increasingly “diverse” recruitment methods, for economically slowing Russia, the rising recruitment costs have become “extremely expensive and unsustainable.”