MOSCOW: A clever new video that has gone viral on Russian social media shows a taxi driver, security guard and physical trainer at work.
“Did you really dream of being that kind of defender?” says the footage released by the Russian Defense Ministry.
The video, accompanied by dramatic music, then shows gunmen in full combat gear marching across a battlefield in thick fog.
“You are a real man! Be one!” says the ad, encouraging the Russians to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense.
Moscow has launched an aggressive military recruitment campaign with ubiquitous videos and billboards as kyiv prepares for a counteroffensive after months of stalemate in eastern Ukraine.
“Our job is to defend the homeland,” read one of the capital’s billboards, showing three soldiers under a big blue sky.
“Honourable work and decent pay,” reads another slogan.
Last September, President Vladimir Cheese fries announced a “partial” military mobilization – Russia’s first since World War II – sending shockwaves across the country and prompting tens of thousands to flee.
Unwilling to announce a second mobilization campaign, Moscow instead opted for a massive public relations campaign, hoping to lure Russians in with financial incentives.
The authorities have not revealed their targets but various estimates indicate that Moscow could try to recruit 400,000 volunteers.
“The authorities are almost certainly seeking to delay any further overt compulsory mobilization as long as possible in order to minimize domestic dissent,” British military intelligence said this week.
Those who sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense are promised a monthly salary of at least 204,000 rubles ($2,450).
A notice on the website of the mayor of Moscow specifies that the military will be paid “at least 204,000 rubles” in “the zone of special military operation”, the official Kremlin term for the offensive in Ukraine.
Those who take part in the offensives are promised a daily bounty of 8,000 rubles (about $100) and at least 50,000 rubles (about $615) for capturing or destroying enemy weapons and military equipment.
Some praised the recruitment drive.
“In Russia, it’s a good sum to support your family, and even your parents,” Pyotr Lipka, a 21-year-old student from the southern city of Volgograd, told AFP.
“It makes sense: if a person is defending their homeland, why shouldn’t they be paid?” said Lipka, adding that signing a contract was better than being drafted.
The public relations campaign in support of the army draws on Russia’s macho culture, promoting the image of such a strong and patriotic “real man”.
Authorities last year admitted embarrassing mistakes in their troop call for Ukraine, after some public outrage over students, the elderly or the sick being mistakenly ordered to report for work.
Yevgeny Krapivin, 41, served as a professional soldier when Russia fought Chechen separatists in 1999-2002 and would like to re-enlist to fight in Ukraine.
He said recruiting officers first turned him away, stating his age. “Then they said to me: ‘Wait. You can receive a call at any time,'” he told AFP in central Moscow. “I’m ready.”
The launch of the new recruiting campaign coincided with preparations for May 9 celebrations marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, which became cult under Putin.
This month, Putin approved a controversial bill to create a digital drafting system that could prevent men from leaving the country.
Kremlin critics say the bill will make it much easier to mobilize men to fight and crack down on those who avoid the bill as the assault on Ukraine drags on for a second year.
Political observers say the Kremlin is keen to rein in social unrest in Russia as economic turmoil escalates.
“The authorities clearly want to avoid a new shock, a new stress for society,” Denis Volkov, head of the independent polling institute Levada Center, told AFP, referring to a military mobilization.
“And they opted for a different scenario: recruiting volunteers,” he said.
The campaign could be successful, especially in poor Russian small towns, he added.
The new approach appears to be working, Volkov said.
“We don’t see any of the panic that there was in the fall,” he said.
“No one is queuing to cross the border.”
“Did you really dream of being that kind of defender?” says the footage released by the Russian Defense Ministry.
The video, accompanied by dramatic music, then shows gunmen in full combat gear marching across a battlefield in thick fog.
“You are a real man! Be one!” says the ad, encouraging the Russians to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense.
Moscow has launched an aggressive military recruitment campaign with ubiquitous videos and billboards as kyiv prepares for a counteroffensive after months of stalemate in eastern Ukraine.
“Our job is to defend the homeland,” read one of the capital’s billboards, showing three soldiers under a big blue sky.
“Honourable work and decent pay,” reads another slogan.
Last September, President Vladimir Cheese fries announced a “partial” military mobilization – Russia’s first since World War II – sending shockwaves across the country and prompting tens of thousands to flee.
Unwilling to announce a second mobilization campaign, Moscow instead opted for a massive public relations campaign, hoping to lure Russians in with financial incentives.
The authorities have not revealed their targets but various estimates indicate that Moscow could try to recruit 400,000 volunteers.
“The authorities are almost certainly seeking to delay any further overt compulsory mobilization as long as possible in order to minimize domestic dissent,” British military intelligence said this week.
Those who sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense are promised a monthly salary of at least 204,000 rubles ($2,450).
A notice on the website of the mayor of Moscow specifies that the military will be paid “at least 204,000 rubles” in “the zone of special military operation”, the official Kremlin term for the offensive in Ukraine.
Those who take part in the offensives are promised a daily bounty of 8,000 rubles (about $100) and at least 50,000 rubles (about $615) for capturing or destroying enemy weapons and military equipment.
Some praised the recruitment drive.
“In Russia, it’s a good sum to support your family, and even your parents,” Pyotr Lipka, a 21-year-old student from the southern city of Volgograd, told AFP.
“It makes sense: if a person is defending their homeland, why shouldn’t they be paid?” said Lipka, adding that signing a contract was better than being drafted.
The public relations campaign in support of the army draws on Russia’s macho culture, promoting the image of such a strong and patriotic “real man”.
Authorities last year admitted embarrassing mistakes in their troop call for Ukraine, after some public outrage over students, the elderly or the sick being mistakenly ordered to report for work.
Yevgeny Krapivin, 41, served as a professional soldier when Russia fought Chechen separatists in 1999-2002 and would like to re-enlist to fight in Ukraine.
He said recruiting officers first turned him away, stating his age. “Then they said to me: ‘Wait. You can receive a call at any time,'” he told AFP in central Moscow. “I’m ready.”
The launch of the new recruiting campaign coincided with preparations for May 9 celebrations marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, which became cult under Putin.
This month, Putin approved a controversial bill to create a digital drafting system that could prevent men from leaving the country.
Kremlin critics say the bill will make it much easier to mobilize men to fight and crack down on those who avoid the bill as the assault on Ukraine drags on for a second year.
Political observers say the Kremlin is keen to rein in social unrest in Russia as economic turmoil escalates.
“The authorities clearly want to avoid a new shock, a new stress for society,” Denis Volkov, head of the independent polling institute Levada Center, told AFP, referring to a military mobilization.
“And they opted for a different scenario: recruiting volunteers,” he said.
The campaign could be successful, especially in poor Russian small towns, he added.
The new approach appears to be working, Volkov said.
“We don’t see any of the panic that there was in the fall,” he said.
“No one is queuing to cross the border.”
