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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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Faced with high battlefield losses in Ukraine, Russia has stepped up its military recruitment by advertising for "non-combat" roles to attract troops who can then be assigned to the front line, according to an analysis firm.
OpenMinds, a Ukrainian cognitive defense tech company, said that there had been a big spike in social media posts in Russia promoting military contracts for roles presented as "safer" which are used as "bait to draw in recruits."
This marks a shift in approach from offering high payments for recruits, to posting ads that make promises they will not have to go to the front line.
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"The new campaign increasingly relies on misleading promises of ‘safe’ or rear-area service—positions no recruiter can actually guarantee," Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi, CEO of OpenMinds, told Newsweek Wednesday.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
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Why It Matters
Since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost 1,118,370 troops, according to Kyiv, whose figures include both killed and wounded. These huge losses continue as Russian forces make only incremental gains.
As the Russian economy teeters due to sanctions, high inflation and dwindling growth, the offer of high salaries to entice troops has given way to encouraging Russians to join by downplaying the risk of going to war, according to the analysis by OpenMinds. This could signal Moscow’s concern at the impact of continuing high losses on the Russian population.
What To Know
OpenMinds said that Russia had increased its contract military recruitment in 2025, with a 40 percent year-on-year increase in social media ads, especially on the social network VK, during the first half of 2025.
Recruitment activity for Russian forces on VK has peaked twice. First, in September 2024, following Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the Kursk region with a more than twofold increase in enlistment bonuses. There was another spike in February 2025, against the backdrop of peace talks, when many hoped for payouts and with an end to the war seeming possible.
But since Russian forces largely stopped using armored vehicles during their advances in late 2024 and early 2025, and were relying mostly on small infantry assaults, there has been a sharp increase in Russian losses, according to a Mediazona and BBC casualty database.
In May, Vladimir Putin said there were between 50-60,0000 recruits each month but calculations based on regional data point to only around 30-40,000 per month and recruitment falling in the first two quarters of 2025.
This gap between declared targets and actual recruitment, combined with rising casualties, is behind the aggressiveness of the current recruitment campaign, OpenMinds said.
Now 20 percent of ads often use phrases like "non-assault units," "rear units," "quiet service," "easy service," and "no front line," suggesting that recruits can get less dangerous roles rather than being placed in front line combat units. Before this year, this type of language was rarely used.
However, these vacancies often function as recruitment bait by agencies who are making promises they cannot keep because Russia's commanders decide where contract soldiers are sent, regardless of the advertised role.
One recruitment site even said without an official assignment letter to a specific unit it is impossible to secure a driver post, since the commanding officer determines the placement.
OpenMinds CEO Hnizdovskyi told Newsweek that when the firm examined Russian recruitment in October 2024, messaging had centered on financial incentives and patriotic appeals.
This strategy was effective, especially in poorer regions, but with mounting losses and increased public awareness about the fate of Russian troops at the front, these drivers are no longer enough.
What People Are Saying
Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi, CEO of OpenMinds: "While financial motivation remains key, the new campaign increasingly relies on misleading promises of "safe" or rear-area service—positions no recruiter can actually guarantee, since final assignments are made by commanding officers."
What Happens Next
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said in August that recruitment was one of his top priorities to support Moscow's offensive operations. However, the Russian government is likely to face the problem of squaring its troop numbers in Ukraine with its budget obligations and appears to be relying increasingly on foreign mercenaries, in particular, Cubans.
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