For its conflict in Ukraine, Russia “recruited volunteer warriors from a mental health center.”
On the website of Psychoneurological Dispensary No. 2 in St. Petersburg, a call for volunteers to join Russia’s volunteer battalions was posted.
The poster promises volunteers benefits if they sign a six-month contract.
Putin ordered his military to recruit an additional 137,000 troops last month.
According to reports, 75,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in combat.
According to an internet banner, Russia is recruiting volunteers from a mental health facility for Vladimir Putin’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine and providing incentives to those who sign up.
The, placed on the homepage of Psychoneurological Dispensary No. 2 in St. Petersburg, solicits military recruits for Russia’s volunteer battalions “Kronstadt,” “Neva,” and “Pavlovsk.”
Volunteers who sign contracts to join the battalions will receive lump sum payments, housing compensation, and community services for at least six months, according to the poster.
As of Tuesday, it appeared that the poster had been removed.
According to an internet banner, Russia is recruiting volunteers from a mental health facility for Vladimir Putin’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine and providing incentives to those who sign up. Pictured: Russian president Vladimir Putin is seen in Vladivostok on Tuesday
However, one Twitter user shared a screenshot of the facility’s online poster. Another user posted a photo of what seemed to be the same notice affixed to a bulletin board in their local clinic.
On the poster, volunteers were also promised the right to earn battle veteran status, the right to apply without competition to “higher education institutions,” and one-time material help.
According to Newsweek, another advertisement described how to pass a psychological evaluation so that Russian authorities will issue a firearms license.
Russian investigative journalist Andrey Zakharov tweeted a snap of the poster. “The time has arrived.” On the website of St. Petersburg’s No. 2 Psychoneurological Dispensary, volunteers are already being recruited for the battle with Ukraine,’ he stated. Will they form a separate battalion for those with mental illness? Or will they associate with criminals?’
The ad is the latest indication of Kremlin desperation as it tries to urge new recruits to sign up to participate in the Ukraine war.
This notice, put on the homepage of St. Petersburg’s Psychoneurological Dispensary No. 2, solicits recruits for the Russian volunteer battalions Kronstadt, Neva, and Pavlovsk.
Putin ordered his forces to cross the border for the first time on February 24 in what he called a “special military operation.”
Moscow brazenly anticipated seizing Kiev in a matter of days, followed by the entire nation. Putin’s soldiers are instead engaged in a protracted struggle against a determined Ukrainian resistance.
Since February, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers have been killed, and thousands of tanks and other pieces of military equipment have been destroyed or taken.
Despite a series of humiliating failures, the Russian despot has not declared all-out war on Ukraine, which would have permitted him, under Russian law, to draft conscripts and mobilize his massive reserve troops.
According to Newsweek, Moscow’s military is instead recruiting contractors, and a report issued in July by Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council concluded that Russia is conducting a ‘silent mobilisation’ through its regional employment offices.
Local media have reported that in addition to attempting to recruit soldiers from a mental health unit, authorities in St. Petersburg have previously attempted to enlist homeless individuals to fight in the battle.
There have also been allegations of Russia attempting to replenish its losses with soldiers from hospitals who are injured or ill.
Putin ordered his military to recruit an additional 137,000 soldiers to replace the estimated 75,000 soldiers who had died or been injured since the invasion of Ukraine began.
On September 6, 2022, firefighters douse the rubble of a structure damaged by a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine.
Putin signed the presidential decree that aims to increase the number of employees in the armed services to 2.39 million, including 1.15 million troops.
The Kremlin’s order did not specify whether the military will expand its ranks by raising the number of conscripts, voluntary soldiers, or both.
However, the decision, which signals the first formal expansion of Russia’s armed forces since 2014, reflects the horrific casualties incurred by Russian troops at the hands of Ukrainian military.
Since the Ukraine conflict began six months ago, an estimated 75,000 Russian servicemen have been killed or wounded. As a result, Putin has been compelled to increase the number of troops.
In an effort to increase the number of troops, Russia has been providing enlistment bonuses of approximately £4,000, employing private military contractors, and even offering amnesty to some inmates in exchange for military service.
In addition, rumors indicate that hundreds of Russian soldiers are refusing to fight and attempting to leave the military.
People wait for a bus at a bus stop in central Moscow on September 5 in front of a billboard depicting a Russian soldier with the words “Glory to the Heroes of Russia.”
Alexei Tabalov, a lawyer who manages the Conscript’s School legal aid group, said, “We’re seeing a massive exodus of people who want to flee the combat zone, both those who have been serving for a long time and those who have just signed a contract.”
Although the Russian Ministry of Defense claims that any “mobilization actions” are occurring, it appears that authorities are pulling out all the stops to increase enlistment.
The phrase ‘This is The Job’ is plastered over billboards and public transit adverts in numerous regions, enticing men to join the professional army. Authorities have established mobile recruiting centers in a number of places, including one at the May location of a half marathon in Siberia.
Regional administrations are organizing “volunteer battalions,” which are promoted on national media. The business newspaper Kommersant identified at least 40 similar organizations in 20 locations, with administrators guaranteeing volunteers monthly salary ranging from the equivalent of £1,821 to roughly £4,666 in addition to bonuses.
The British military reported earlier this month that Russia has built a huge new ground force named the 3rd Army Corps from ‘volunteer battalions,’ seeking individuals up to the age of 50 with only a middle school education, and offering ‘lucrative monetary bonuses’ upon deployment to Ukraine.
Since the Ukraine conflict began six months ago, an estimated 75,000 Russian servicemen have been killed or wounded. As a result, Putin has been compelled to increase the number of troops. Russian soldiers engaged in training drills
However, media reports indicate that some individuals are not receiving their promised compensation, but these claims cannot be fully confirmed.
Vladimir Osechkin, the founder of the Gulagu.net prisoner rights group, stated that prisoner recruiting has taken place in as many as seven locations in recent weeks, citing convicts and their family whom the group had contacted.
During World War II, the Soviet Union employed “prisoner battalions.” Thus, this is not the first time that authorities have employed this strategy.
Russia is not alone. It is unknown whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s promise to provide amnesty to military veterans in prison if they volunteered to fight was carried out.
All Russian men between the ages of 18 and 27 are required to serve in the military for one year, however a considerable proportion evade the conscription for health reasons or university student exemptions. In Moscow and other major cities, the proportion of males who evade the draft is notably high.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Kremlin is likely aiming to conceal Moscow City citizens from the military recruitment push, which could lead to social issues.
The Russian military conducts conscription twice every year, in the spring and fall. Putin ordered 134,500 conscripts to be drafted during the most recent spring draft.
In recent years, the Kremlin has prioritized raising the proportion of volunteer contract soldiers in an effort to modernize and strengthen the army.
Before the Kremlin dispatched troops into Ukraine, the Russian military employed over 400,000 contract soldiers, of which 147,000 served in the ground forces.
Observers in the military have warned that if the fight in Ukraine carries on, these numbers may be insufficient to support operations in Ukraine, where the government has proclaimed a goal of assembling a one million-person force.