Russia's recruitment drive mishap: Ukrainian soldier on poster

In Kursk, banners have appeared encouraging people to sign a contract with the Russian army. Volunteers can earn around $10,500 annually. The creators of the poster project made an error by featuring a Ukrainian soldier holding a child. Both Russians and Ukrainians quickly noticed the mistake.

On the Russian army posters, next to the slogan "For ours!", there is a cut-out figure of a soldier holding a child. However, residents of the Kursk region, who have observed the uniforms of Russian and Ukrainian troops for several weeks, easily determined that the camouflage worn by the man on the poster is part of the Ukrainian uniform.

Using a reverse search tool, one can easily find this photo on stock photography websites, confirming that Vadym Ghirda originally took it for the Associated Press in March 2022. The description states that it depicts a Ukrainian soldier holding a child while crossing the Irpin River on an improvised path under a bridge destroyed by a Russian airstrike.

While this component of the campaign encouraging contract service in the Russian army may not significantly bolster its personnel, the authorities are trying to persuade people to enlist through financial incentives, which appear to be effective.

According to findings by journalists from "Important Stories," the pace of recruitment for contract soldiers in Ukraine this year has increased sixfold compared to last year. While in the first half of 2023, just under 27,000 Russians signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense, over 166,000 did in the same period this year. The report's authors emphasize that these figures may differ slightly due to payment delays, as some people are included in the statistics for the next quarter instead of the current one.

At the end of July this year, the Russian authorities significantly increased the rates for signing a contract. Previously, a candidate sent to the war received 200,000 rubles (around $4,200) from the federal budget. In the summer, this amount doubled. This still constitutes a smaller portion of their earnings, as the main financial burden has shifted to regional authorities. Their contributions vary, but on average, it is 600,000 rubles. Hence, signing a one-year contract with the army can earn about 1 million rubles (around $10,500).

According to the "Verstka" service, the earnings can be even five times higher in some regions, such as Moscow. Its mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, introduced a one-time payment of 1.9 million rubles plus an additional 50,000 rubles monthly. Thus, a Muscovite can earn 5.2 million rubles ($55,000) during a year of service.

In some districts, financial benefits are also available to those who convince a family member or friend to sign a contract with the army. All efforts are aimed at avoiding jeopardizing the image of the authorities in the Kremlin and not announcing another "partial" mobilization.