Russia deploys recruitment points for war with Ukraine

That’s according to Vadym Skibitskyi, a spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, who spoke at the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"Today, the Russian Federation uses various methods of mercenarism and recruitment. Recently, they began to really actively involve a private military company, the notorious Wagner, or Liga, and deployed recruitment points throughout Russia. They launched such a new mechanism as setting up the so-called patriotic ethnic battalions – across the whole country, including Kostroma and Orenburg, where these rifle battalions are formed before being sent to our territory. So their resources are being depleted and the understanding comes that sooner or later, mobilization will have to be announced, in order to maintain the pace of the offensive that the Russian Federation now seeks to keep up," Skibitskyi said.

According to the intelligence official, now, despite the efforts on the part of Russian authorities to cover up their casualties in the war with Ukraine, such reports are spreading as the number of KIAs and WIAs returning to Russia is increasing.

In addition, Russia is seeing a shortage of military specialists in various fields, such as mechanics, gunners, and drivers, while the quality of the newly-formed units remains low.

Also, the high pay promised by commanders is not a solid recruitment driver anymore, the official added, noting that in many cases, the soldiers never receive the money vowed.

“Thus, the fact that it’s an actual war and you can die there is gradually coming upon Russian servicemen," said Skibitskyi.

He also partially confirmed the reports that inmates are being recruited into the Wagner PMC from penitentiary facilities. "First of all, it is confirmed that recruitment into the Russian army units is taking place in all regions and in all possible places, including prisons. But it should be noted that this is done for a reason: newly-formed units are in many cases deployed in the hottest spots, and it has already been calculated by the Russian command that most of them will be killed there. And accordingly, the government, and even more so the Russian defense ministry, won’t be held accountable for their deaths," Skibitskyi said.

Also, according to the intelligence spokesman, no compensation will be paid for such mercenaries. That is, they are set to become pure cannon fodder, utilized to keep the war going.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, referring to Ukraine’s defense intelligence, Russian officers are increasingly unwilling to go to war in Ukraine, while generals are urgently transferring their relatives to "safer" spots, including Syria.