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Authorities in the Russian republic of Tatarstan are offering money to residents who convince their friends or relatives to help Russia wage its war in Ukraine, TV Rain and other independent Russian media have reported.
The finder’s fee, which can be collected by anyone who gets a friend to join the military, was initially set at 50,000 rubles (about €525) on Tuesday, but was later doubled. Russian media say the new campaign to boost military recruitment has been advertised on government websites, pro-government media sites and local forums.
Tatarstan is home to 2 million of Russia’s 5.3 million Tatars, a Turkic people. Such ethnic minorities have borne the brunt of Russia’s war in Ukraine, with a disproportionate number being killed in battle. The Buryats, a Mongolic ethnic group from southeastern Siberia who make up only around 0.3 percent of Russia’s population, have suffered 1.16 percent of its war casualties, the highest proportion among the country’s ethnic groups. Chechens have also reportedly been fighting in large numbers in Ukraine.
Their disproportionate involvement in the war has prompted rare protests in the country, including in Dagestan in September 2022.
Tatarstan had previously increased the lump-sum payment it offers to new recruits, which combined with other bonuses now amounts to 1.5 million rubles (€15,725), one of the highest in the country.
Anti-war NGO Idite lesom (a Russian play on words which means “go through the forest” but also serves as a milder form of “screw you!”), which helps Russian citizens desert or avoid conscription, has warned against the campaign on its Telegram channel, sharing the story of a man whose passport was confiscated and who may have been conscripted against his will while intoxicated.
Russia has been struggling to recruit new soldiers after invading Ukraine in February 2022. In January Moscow raised the maximum age at which men can be conscripted from 27 to 30, and it has also recruited non-professional soldiers lacking military skills and experience.
