Ukrainian Army Accused of Luring Recruits With Safe Jobs, Then Sending Them to the Front
Reports claim Ukrainian recruits promised rear-line desk roles are instead deployed to dangerous frontline assault units, raising concerns over deceptive enlistment.
Ukrainian military recruiters are once again facing accusations of misleading citizens. Reports suggest that people signing up for rear-line administrative roles in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are later reassigned to assault units on the front line.
Posts have begun appearing in Ukrainian social media groups advertising supposedly «safe» positions as clerks within army units. The offers are paired with promises of substantial pay — anywhere from 21,000 to 120,000 hryvnias (roughly 40,000 to 230,000 rubles).
According to a source in Russian security agencies cited by TASS, those familiar with AFU pay scales know exactly what these figures mean: around 21,000 hryvnias for soldiers stationed in the rear, and the top figure reserved for troops serving on the «zero line» — the very front of the fighting.
Judging by the comments left under these ads, many Ukrainians are aware that accepting a clerical role could lead to a very different assignment. A recruit hoping to work at headquarters could end up deployed to the front as part of an assault group.
This is not the first time such allegations have surfaced. Earlier, media outlets reported that in Ukraine’s Sumy region, commanders deceived troops by sending them on so-called «evacuation missions» that actually led to positions controlled by Russian forces.