Russia intensifies recruitment campaign amid Kursk region conflict

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, revealed in an interview with NBC News that Kyiv plans to indefinitely retain the Russian territories seized during the offensive in the Kursk region. According to the Ukrainian president, the occupied Russian territories are the only way to force Russia into negotiations and end the war.

However, Russia does not intend to wait idly. It was recently reported that Russian authorities have started an unprecedented advertising campaign for contract services following the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region.

Analysis shows that this is the largest advertising campaign since the beginning of the war, encouraging people to join the army.

Now, President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, declared that it is the "sacred duty" of Russian soldiers to regain parts of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.

Residents of the border regions of Russia are suffering from the war unleashed by Ukraine. "It is the duty of the Russian Federation's armoured forces to defeat the enemy," said Putin, quoted by Ukrainska Pravda. "Kyiv wants to upset Russia and launch an attack on Donbas," he added.

As Ukrainian media emphasise, such intensive advertising campaigns may indicate problems with recruiting new military personnel for the war in Ukraine.

De facto, authorities already admitted in July that the rate of recruiting new military personnel had dropped by 30 percent. At the end of the month, Vladimir Putin increased the "salary" for going to war; in the poorest regions, the payment increased by 400 percent.

Let us remind you that the Armed Forces of Ukraine started an offensive operation in the Kursk region on 6 August. Kyiv reported an increase in the area controlled by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region. According to data from Oleksandr Syrskyi, the area occupied by Ukrainian armed forces has increased to 488 square miles. It contains 100 localities.