When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered what he called a “partial mobilization” of men of military age, seven months after Russia’s war in Ukraine began in 2022, the effect of the decision was felt on the streets and at state borders.
Recruiters have raided offices, watched outside apartment buildings and train stations, looking for men who should report for war. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled the country to avoid the war, joining the exodus that began in the early days of the war, A2 reports.
Later, Putin seems to have wanted to avoid this step, and the Russian army has turned to other methods to ensure the necessary number of soldiers, whether through recruitment in prisons or even in shelters for the poor, although some of these forms are illegal.
In December 2023, Schemat and Sistema – two investigative units in the Russian and Ukrainian services of Radio Free Europe – revealed that Redut, a private mercenary company that has sent thousands of men to fight in Ukraine, is in fact a state-controlled entity, a recruitment network run by Russia's main military intelligence agency, known as the GRU.
A new Sistemas investigation shows how the military has expanded its network by using an alternative system called Dobrokor – short for Dobrovolchesky Korpus (Volunteer Corps) – to lure recruits who might object to the rules or conditions presented by the Redut agency or the Ministry of Defense.
Engaging in combat through these companies, Redut or Dobrokor, is different from signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense. Contracts with the ministry are automatically extended until the end of what Russia calls a “special military operation,” meaning these soldiers are not released until the war is over. Mercenary company contracts specify time frames — usually six, eight, or 12 months — and they are not automatically extended.
But there is a potentially deadly snag here, as there is evidence that soldiers recruited through volunteer networks may be seen by members of the military as cannon fodder for the Russian army as it advances on the battlefield. By the summer of this year, Russia is believed to have lost over 1 million soldiers.
"Second-hand infantry"
In a recorded conversation with officers that circulated late last year, Aleksandr Borodai, a Russian lawmaker who leads a group called the Donbass Volunteer Union, said that soldiers view volunteers as “second-rate infantry,” and that their task is to “crush the enemy’s strength” as much as possible before regular military units launch an attack.
In the same recording, he refers to volunteers as "expendable labor."
Dobrokor and Redut are run by the GRU and both recruit individuals with different interests, starting from nationalist or Orthodox beliefs, others focus on football fans or other groups. The Dobrokor website lists 27 units in total.
All men aged 18-55 and women aged 18-45 can join through the companies Dobrokor and Redut. Women serve in medical units.
The payment starts at $2,600 per month and can be even higher, depending on the mercenary's role.
However, there is a big difference between these two companies. Redut operates in a gray, semi-legal area – which has both advantages and disadvantages for Russians who join through it.
In 2023, people recruited by the Redut company told Radio Free Europe that benefits included the opportunity to leave the war even before the end of the contract, without any threat of litigation, and payments could be made in cash, which allowed for concealment of income from creditors, the courts, or the government.
The Redut company was created "so that people can avoid taxes or any court fees," a recruit told Sistema at the time.
The easiest way to join the military is through the company Redut. The requirements for health checks and general well-being are very flexible and there is no barrier if someone has an open court case.
But there are also drawbacks to recruiting through it. Recruits cannot benefit from regional bonuses, which are considerable, and it can be very difficult for veterans or survivors to secure pensions for any disabilities or other hardships.
'Non-existent'
A volunteer recruited through the Dobrokor system has the status of a member of military service and is guaranteed all social payments, a recruit in the so-called Nevsky unit has revealed in several responses to Sistema.
He said that if someone is hired through the Redut company, legally that person "does not exist."
"He is not offered hospitalization, no rehabilitation, nothing."
For the purposes of this article, Sistemas journalists called recruiting companies through public contacts.
If a recruit joins through Dobrokor, they are considered more secure and have access to benefits and bonuses. However, unlike the Redut company, a Dobrokor recruit cannot withdraw even before their contract expires without risking any consequences, including criminal charges for desertion.
"You can't leave – at least not without trouble," Irina, a recruit, revealed in several responses to Sistema.
As of May, military prosecutors have sent more than 20,000 desertion cases to Russian courts, dating back to the first days of the war, the Russian-language platform Mediazona reported.
Bonuses for recruits through the Dobrokor company are smaller than those for those who go through the Ministry of Defense, where benefits can go up to $46,000.
"Men from different regions write 'the bonus here is $1,280, here it is $640,'" a recruit in the Vostok mercenary unit told Radio Free Europe in several responses.
In addition to the Dobrokor and Redut companies, the Ministry of Defense has created another recruitment channel, BARS.
Some recruiting organizations, such as the Donas Volunteer Union, recruit through these three systems.
Another difference between the Redut and Dobrokor companies: those recruited through Dobrokor are provided with uniforms and other basic items, while those from the Redut company "with nothing," said one recruit in several responses to Radio Free Europe.
At least not at first. Recruits through the Redut company have said they are given a $640 compensation for the purchases they make, and that in the third month of military service – if they are alive by then./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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