A new recruitment scheme deployed by Russia appears to underscore the growing challenge for Vladimir Putin’s regime in recruiting new soldiers for the Russian military.
According to Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Russian government is employing an unconventional approach to address a dwindling interest in contract service within their armed forces.
He wrote on X: “The Russian army has seen a decline in interest in contract service.
“The Kremlin needs to look for new ‘cannon fodder’. They have decided that debtors will become “contract servicemen”.
“Therefore, all data on those who owe loans was transferred to the Ministry of Defence. Now the debtors will be driven into the army by threats: either pay or go to war.”
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The revelation raises questions about the current state of recruitment in Russia and hints at a significant challenge Putin’s administration is grappling with.
The scheme comes against the backdrop of a substantial increase in the sale of overdue debts to debt collectors by Russian banks, with the third quarter witnessing a record 75 billion rubles (approximately $800 million), up from 41.9 billion rubles (approximately $450 million) in the previous quarter.
Gerashchenko goes on to explain that, in most cases, these debtors are typically individuals in their forties with secondary or higher education, families to support, and a pressing need for financial stability.
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They not only require higher incomes but also various financial benefits, including credit freezes and preferential mortgages. It’s precisely these financial incentives that the Ministry of Defence is deploying to entice these individuals into military service.
According to data from the Central Bank, regions with the highest number of microfinance institution (MFI) clients – the financial entities providing small loans – include Tyva (15.3 per cent), Altai (9.6 per cent), and occupied Sevastopol (9.4 per cent).
Debtors with other types of loans are predominantly situated in major urban centres such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Krasnodar region, Sverdlovsk region, and Bashkortostan.
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