Putin is running out of soldiers and turns to prisoners, minorities and those over 40

The Armed Forces of the country try in various ways to attract new members without resorting to national compulsory recruitmentsomething that would be politically very risky since it would mean declaring the country at war, as explained New York Times.

In fact, according to the experts quoted by the same medium, it has been Russian President Vladimir Putin himselfwhich has hindered the mobilization effort from the beginning calling the war against Ukraine a “special military operation”.

salaries

The change from one concept to another, that is, talking about war, would allow the Russian Army to request reserves, but also would leave the Kremlin in a very complicated situation internally.

The Government knows that it could have to face to a negative reaction on the part of the Russian populationmuch of it critical of the invasion after previous military disasters, such as the one in Afghanistan or the first war in Chechnya.

Faced with a shortage of soldiers, recruiting centers entice reservists and potential volunteers with significant financial incentives. According to the figures offered by the American newspaper, salaries range between 2,000 and 6,000 dollars per month. These amounts multiply several times the average salary in Russia, which is around 700 dollars, to attract the most impoverished population.

[A fuego lento: así prepara Rusia la pinza que les permita hacerse por completo con el Donbás]

Offers to join the Russian Army spread from recruiting offices to the Internet. In various job search websites you can find proposals for combat engineers, paratroopers or anyone who can use a grenade launcher, according to the independent media Important Stories.

Said offers they avoid making any reference to the war in Ukraine and most of them are limited to a period of three monthspoint New York Times. With this, the Kremlin intends to minimize the risk that the soldiers will not return home.

This situation joins the disinformation that there is about real casualties in the Russian Army. The high number of deceased from the poorest republics, and in turn populated by ethnic minoritiessuch as Dagestan -in the Caucasus- and Buryatia -in southern Siberia-, indicate that these soldiers occupy the front lines of military offensives.

In addition, the military in charge of convincing these minorities end up suffering pressure from the Kremlin to achieve objectives, denounces the American newspaper.

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But the ethnic minorities of the country is not the only way to get recruits that the Russian Government has launched. according to also Important Stories, the forces of the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov and the mercenaries of the Wagner Group they have recruited men in Donetsk and Lugansk.

This last group -known for having participated in the conflicts in Sudan or Syria- would have succeeded in convincing dozens of prisoners in Saint Petersburg in exchange for about 4,000 dollars and amnesty if they managed to return alive from the front.

[El Grupo Wagner, los Sicarios de Putin con Licencia Mundial para Matar y que Paga un Cocinero]

Given the difficulties of the Russian Army to incorporate new soldiers into its ranks, the country’s Parliament recently approved a law to remove the age limit to serve. Until then, those over 40 could not enlist.

The new rule, proposed by the Kremlin’s United Russia party, allows any person of working age can sign their first professional contract with the Armed Forces. The goal that has been set is to attract civil specialists, from engineers to communications technicians and doctors, who in many cases exceed the old age limit.

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The desperation to incorporate new soldiers would have led the Russian Army even to recruit Ukrainian citizens through deception. This was denounced a few days ago by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who pointed out that Russian troops who invaded the cities of Severodonetsk and Lisichansk, in the east of the country, carried out these practices with local citizens.

According to the latest estimates, around 25,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began with 300,000 Russian assets, including support units. The total number of dead and wounded on the battlefield it is a well-kept secret by both Russia and Ukraine.

According to the latest British Army estimates, compiled by New York Times, Around 25,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict. The wounded number in the tens of thousands.

The last time the Russian command reported this was on March 25. According to official figures, at that time 1,351 of his soldiers had died in the military campaign.