Russia Floods its Army with Mercenaries and Prisoners

Russia has changed tactics for replenishing army personnel, according to the Main Directorate of Intelligence (MDI) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

Russia is attempting to recruit mercenaries from among citizens of Central Asian countries, prisoners and representatives of remote regions.

“a campaign under the slogan ‘from each subject of the federation by battalion’ is actively underway. Within its framework, the Kremlin obliged each of the 85 Russian regions, including Crimea and Sevastopol, to form and financially stimulate one new battalion of ‘volunteers’ to participate in the war against Ukraine. However, not all regions are ready to create such battalions at the expense of the local population. In particular, the Moscow authorities are forming the so-called ‘mayor’s regiment,’ which mostly recruits people from other regions and even citizens of Central Asian countries (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan). As an incentive, a high salary and the opportunity to obtain citizenship of the Russian Federation are offered,” said the official MDI website on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.

In order to avoid an unwanted announcement of mobilization, military personnel is recruited through private military companies, the Russian Guard and the “LDNR”(Luhansk People’s Repubic and Donetsk People’s Republic, collectively).

Moreover, reports of coercion against the local population to sign “contracts” in the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhia regions are surfacing.

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In addition, the head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Richard Moore, suggested that the Russian military would take an operational pause in the coming weeks because it is increasingly difficult for Russia to provide its personnel.