On the streets of Kharkiv, a huge billboard shows a woman with a gun hugging a man on a motorcycle, along with the message “I love the third assault unit.” It is one of many campaigns trying to attract new recruits in the war against Russia.
The image could be that of a perfume advertisement or a dating application but the objective is to attract passers-by in this large city in northeastern Ukraine to join the brigade. Volodimir Degtiarov, a soldier who is in charge of communication for another brigade, said that “in the army, no one had done something so brave in terms of publicity.” “With that, military service looks sexy,” he says.
Ukraine passed a mobilization law in May to recruit tens of thousands of men, but its army continues to be in deficit against Russian troops. The brigades are authorized to recruit their own soldiers and do not hesitate to use billboards and social networks to promote themselves. The effectiveness of these campaigns is difficult to estimate, but according to Degtiarov they are necessary. Telegram is also widely used, although the brigades there do not hesitate to share images of Russian soldiers being chased or killed by drones, showing the harshest side of the war.
Fuente: AFP
