Mainly “short term contracts” ads

Several weeks ago, according to the BBC’s Russian-language service, more and more job vacancies appeared in the armed forces, especially for short-term contracts. Russia’s recruitment agency HeadHunter saw 3,000 military vacancies in one month, three times what it did in the whole of 2019. And in another office, Superjob, the BBC counted 18,000 such ads in one week.

The influx of vacancies indicates that the Russian Defense Ministry is having difficulty finding enough forces to relieve the army in Ukraine and compensate for losses in the ranks of the Russian forces.

Remarkably, too, job advertisements ask for people with specific military skills, such as gunners, tank drivers, or radio operators. These are usually recruited through the recruitment offices of the armed forces. It also relates primarily to contracts of three, six or twelve months, rather than the usual two- to five-year contracts.

“behind the tape”

This urgency is illustrated by the fact that BBC staff who responded to the advertisements were told they could stop immediately for an interview. Candidates wishing to work “behind the bar” (Ukrainian border) can start work in a few weeks.

Monthly salary of bypass Amounts, depending on their specialization, range from 350 to 600 euros. But candidates wishing to join the “military operation” in Ukraine can count on twice that, plus additional fees. Russian soldiers who fought in Ukraine would later also be able to claim free medical care and help finding a home.

This is an attractive prospect, especially for ex-soldiers from remote regions of Russia where there are hardly any jobs. But reports of heavy casualties among Russian forces in Ukraine seem to have made many Russians shy, even though the Kremlin is anxiously trying to keep it a secret.

According to US defense expert Michael Kaufman, the biggest problem is political in nature. Because President Putin insists this is not a war but a “special military operation,” the Defense Ministry is not allowed to deploy conscripted soldiers to Ukraine.

politically sensitive

According to Kaufman, Putin should actually announce a mobilization to solve the troop shortage, but in doing so, he will realize that this is indeed a war, which is much more difficult than the Kremlin wants to admit. It would also be very politically sensitive. Putin has always promised not to send any conscripted soldiers — a new batch of 135,000 men was called up at the beginning of this month — to Ukraine.

In order to avoid this, enlisted soldiers are pressured in various ways to register as a kontraktnik. Anyone who signs a two-year contract will immediately get rid of their year of military service, and they are promised. As bait, an interested person was also told that by enlisting to serve in Ukraine, he might be able to participate “in the Red Square Victory Parade.”