Moscow: Russia is increasingly looking to universities and technical colleges to help fill the ranks of its military as the war in Ukraine continues. According to a report by ABC News, more than 250 educational institutions are now involved in recruitment efforts targeting students. Reports suggest some institutions have been given recruitment targets, with authorities aiming to sign up around two per cent of male students. In some cases, students are reportedly being offered incentives such as tuition support, cleared academic records and the chance to return to their studies after military service.
The recruitment push has sparked controversy after recordings of university and college officials encouraging students to enlist circulated online. In one recording from a transport college in Siberia, a director criticised students who were unwilling to join the military. “What are you afraid of? Who made you this scared? Who’s gonna protect us? I’m telling you, go [to the army] right now, and then you’ll get your diploma.
Now go sign a contract.” Some students claim academic pressure is being used as a recruitment tool. Denis, a 19-year-old student in Moscow, told ABC he was offered military service as an alternative after failing a subject. “The university said if you agree to fight then you will not be expelled, you can come back to study, and the academic debts will be cleared too,” he said. “It’s quite difficult to retake any subjects now. It’s as if they [the university] just don’t allow it on purpose.” Security analyst Natia Seskuria described the campaign as “aggressive”, pointing to growing online efforts by universities to persuade students to join the war effort. “Looking at some of the websites of major Russian universities, we see that there are quite a lot of campaigns online in terms of sourcing and influencing the students’ decision to join this war effort,” she said. Seskuria also warned that promises made to recruits may not always hold up. “These contracts cannot be trusted. It really depends on what sort of battlefield necessities Russia will have,” she said. Under current Russian rules, military contracts generally remain active until the war in Ukraine ends.
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