Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ Corrupt Russian military recruiters, police officers, local administrations, and – allegedly – drug dealers are said to be conspiring to recruit drug addicts, alcoholics and the mentally disabled to join the army, likely to profit from bounties and recruitment bonuses. ⬇️

2/ Russian warblogger Anastasia Kashevarova has published a denunciation of what she calls "discrediting the army in the rear by its own people." She describes how people who are completely unsuited to military service are ending up in the army:

3/ "Military recruitment offices, local administrations, district police officers, and Roma profit from supplying incapacitated soldiers to the front, and the army ends up cleaning up the mess.

4/ "Units of the Russian Armed Forces are complaining about yet another scheme to profit from the country's defence capability in the rear.

5/ "The scheme goes like this: a district police officer and a military recruitment office representative work together, often involving Roma who sell drugs and leak information about individuals.

6/ "The district police officer provides information about people with problems: alcoholics, drug addicts, and citizens with psychiatric diagnoses.

7/ "Then, they visit the home of those who meet these criteria and tell them that mobilization is underway, and that they, as a draft dodger, face a prison sentence. They offer to quickly resolve the issue by signing a contract.

8/ "If the victim reveals medical conditions that prevent them from serving, they are offered a medical examination. Which, of course, shows that the candidate is as healthy as an ox.

9/ "And here there's no turning back: a person who's already incapable of thinking clearly is intimidated with a criminal case and forced to sign a contract.

10/ "A specific example: Amur Region. A woman wrote about two brothers whose brothers were cunningly coerced into signing a contract. The older brother has vision problems.

11/ "The younger brother has mental health issues, literally: "it's very difficult to communicate with him; he's mentally retarded." Both are alcoholics, single, and childless, leading antisocial lifestyles, have had run-ins with the law, and have been incarcerated...

12/ "They were both intimidated using the same method described above. The older brother found the strength to refuse to sign any documents, citing the fact that he could barely read the text. He was released.

13/ "The younger brother, given his mental health issues, succumbed to the pressure and signed the contract. We haven't had contact with him since 10 November, when he was transferred from the military recruitment centre in Belogorsk to a military unit in the same city.

14/ "We also have the unit numbers, the address of the recruiting centre, and the full names of the military enlistment office employee and the district police officer who participated in this scheme. We will share this with law enforcement agencies.

15/ "To immediately put an end to any talk that this is all enemy propaganda — we've already received numerous complaints about this, collected the information, and analysed it.

16/ "I'm publishing this only now, now that the picture has been pieced together and specific victims of such actions have emerged.

17/ "I believe that those law enforcement officials who implement this scheme are true saboteurs and traitors who undermine the country's defence capability. Yes, there are more signatories, the box is ticked, but what will they do in a combat zone?

18/ "Due to their personal characteristics, they pose a threat not only to themselves but also to their fellow soldiers. I've already heard from some units that were "lucky" enough to receive such recruits.

19/ "On paper, there's a certain number of fighters, but in reality, some of them are simply incompetent."

Kashevarova's post corroborates a number of other reports about the recruitment tactics being used to force 'undesirables' into the army.

20/ In March 2025, reports emerged from the Ivanovo region that men were being kidnapped and forced to sign military contracts.

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1905729247026786811

21/ This has already had significant impacts on Russian military capabilities. In September 2025, it was reported that as many as 70% of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's new recruits were chronic alcoholics and drug addicts.

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1968242132210286893

22/ The recent Russian offensive near Dobropillia was said to be hampered by the large number of "marginalised individuals" being used as assault troops, but proving to be physically incapable of the demands of such an operation.

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1976637556830978474

23/ Commanders have responded to the stream of alcoholics and drug addicts being sent to them by deliberately sending them to their deaths, likely in the hope that they will be sent more suitable replacements.

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1843196476329254930

24/ Russian soldiers fighting on the front line have described how the quality of recruits has plummeted since January 2025, with large numbers of "homeless and hardened alcoholics" arriving on the front lines.

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1975579159603601423

25/ While Kashevarova does not explain the reasons why so many unsuitable people are being recruited, it's likely to be a combination of four factors:

🔺 Recruitment offices are under pressure to meet enlistment quotas;

26/🔺 Local authorities have an incentive to remove 'undesirables' from their communities – sending them to the army is a convenient way of doing so;

27/ 🔺 Police officers can earn 10,000-100,000 rubles ($125-$1,250) for sending detainees to the war. This has incentivised them to scoop up drug addicts, alcoholics and the homeless, as well as torturing detainees into signing contracts.

28/🔺 Anyone involved in the recruitment process has an opportunity to steal the new recruit's enlistment bonus, which may be over 1 million rubles ($12,500), and also to obtain access to their salary account to steal from their payroll.

29/ Marginalised individuals are particularly vulnerable to being exploited by recruiters. At least 1.9 million people are estimated to be held as slaves in Russia, and have reportedly been sold to the army for as much as 100,000 rubles ($1,240) each. /end

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1920367033784455271

Source:
t.me/akashevarova/8…