The Russian army has launched an advertising campaign, which challenges to prove masculinity and exchange the monotonous life of a civilian for the one of a soldier, going to war in Ukraine, writes Reuters.
The ad comes after British military intelligence reported that Moscow wanted to recruit 400,000 professional soldiers into voluntary service to supplement the occupying forces in Ukraine. Moscow has not revealed the extent of the losses, however, leaked US military documents show that 43 thousand Russians may have died in the war.
A Russian army ad invites men to sign a contract with the Defense Ministry
and offers a starting monthly salary of 204,000 rubles (2,495 dollars). It shows a man dressed in army uniform with a gun in a supermarket. He approaches the store with a security guard with the text: “Is this the kind of defender you wanted to become?” Next, the video shows a gym where the instructor, who is helping a client lift a barbell, is asked if this is really where his strength lays.
After the partial mobilization that began in September, tens of thousands of Russian men left Russia to avoid conscription. Instead of the planned electronic recruitment, the government has apparently decided to put the main emphasis on voluntary application.
In recent weeks, posters of both the army and the mercenary Wagner group have appeared in Russia’s largest cities. Potential soldiers are promised a respectable profession and decent pay.
Read also: Russia’s e-conscription points to the difficulty of securing military personnel