Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Previously a Russian recruitment campaign has targeted alcoholics.
As the war in Ukraine continues to rage, both Ukraine and independent analysts suggest that Russia is now losing more troops on the battlefield than they can recruit.
Reports of the Russian Ministry of Defence targeting university students for the drone units have already surfaced, and in January, The Barent Observer reported that alcoholics are being recruited only to die in their first battle.
The most sinister part of that recruitment technique is that the alcoholics are severly intoxicated when they sign up – and when they get sober, they are threatened with criminal prosicution, if if they do not go to the front in Ukraine, according to the report.
But now a recruitment notice placed inside a medical facility in northern Russia is drawing scrutiny after it appeared to target vulnerable patients.
This time, the Russian army is not looking for alcoholics.
It is looking for HIV and Hepatitis patients.
“We are looking for volunteers!”
The poster, seen at a clinic in Karelia, raises questions about military recruitment practices.
It was displayed in a setting intended for treatment and support, not enlistment.
According to The Barent Observer, who first reported on the poster, a reader sent the outlet a pcture of a notice encountered near the registration desk at the Karelia Centre for AIDS Prevention and Infectious Diseases.
The leaflet explicitly calls for volunteers, stating: “We are looking for VOLUNTEERS for the special military operation! Recruitment is open for people with HIV and HEPATITIS!!”
Official Russian Defence Ministry regulations list HIV and hepatitis among conditions that disqualify individuals from military service, which could explain why the poster is asking for volunteers.
Recruitment push
However, the advert outlines financial incentives, including a one-time payment of 1.7 million roubles (22,300 USD) and contracts starting from one year.
It also promises debt relief of up to 10 million roubles and unspecified additional benefits.
It further notes that foreign nationals and individuals with criminal convictions may apply, with each case reviewed individually.
Nearby, another notice promoted a memorial garden initiative in Petrozavodsk dedicated to participants in the war in Ukraine.
Sources: Barents Observer, Important Stories
