May 27, 2025

Job Ads Lead to the Front Line


Job Ads Lead to the Front Line
Readiness check of the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division.  Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Wikimedia Commons

The independent publication Verstka uncovered a scheme in which individuals are recruited into the Russian army with the promise of work as drivers, security guards, or construction workers, with reassurances that the roles are non-combat and unrelated to military activity in Russia's ongoing War on Ukraine. However, these roles fall under general contracts with the Ministry of Defense, which do not offer such guarantees.

In recent weeks, increasing numbers of men have been arriving at Moscow’s military contract recruitment center, hoping to secure multimillion-ruble payments while avoiding front-line deployment. A source in the Moscow mayor’s office, familiar with army recruitment data, told Verstka that this trend is new.

“This definitely didn’t happen before, but now literally every day someone says, ‘I’ll just go as a plumber,’” the source said.

Dozens of misleading job ads have appeared on Avito, Russia’s largest classified ad site. Employers using names such as “Zashchitniki Rodiny” (“Defenders of the Motherland”) or “ZOV — Okhrana Tyla” (“ZOV — Rear Guard”) offer roles as humanitarian aid drivers, fortification builders, and guards for newly occupied territories.

Many of these ads were posted in recent months, some as recently as May. Despite promising rear-area work, the listings almost always involve signing a military contract that includes combat.

A Verstka journalist responded to one such ad and quickly received a message via WhatsApp from a man claiming to be with the Moscow administration. He described the process: The applicant submits paperwork to the administration, receives a train ticket to Smolensk, travels there, undergoes a medical exam, signs a contract, and is supposedly assigned to an engineering unit as a builder.

Recruits are told they’ll be trained in their chosen specialty and assigned to relevant units. However, two sources in the Moscow mayor’s office told Verstka that these roles and administrative processes do not exist.

“This is a shameless scam,” said one source, adding that the military is behind the scheme and is working with contractors to draw more men into the war.

One source explained how the deception works: A man from a regional town sees a driver job ad on Avito, travels to a shady office in Moscow, and is told he’ll be transporting supplies under a one-year contract — supposedly in the “gray zone,” a term often used to describe areas near active combat.

“Everyone profits from these men — the internet recruiters, the travel organizers, the contract officers, even the military,” the source said.

Ads are often posted by recruiters who identify themselves as working for “military recruiting agencies.” Two such recruiters confirmed to Verstka that promises of rear-area jobs are false.

“They’ll say, ‘Yes, come, we give you a 100% guarantee you’ll be in a construction battalion or a driver,’” one recruiter said. “But it’s the unit commanders who decide everything. If they assign you as a rifleman, you can’t get out of it.”

Another recruiter said it’s impossible to know where a so-called volunteer will be deployed. According to Verstka, the scam primarily targets men from small towns and rural areas. Recruiters often cover travel expenses to Moscow or other cities and process the recruits upon arrival.

You Might Also Like

Russian Soldiers Want Peace
  • May 08, 2025

Russian Soldiers Want Peace

Independent outlet Verstka interviewed Russian soldiers about a potential ceasefire and the objectives of the war.
With Prayers and Drones
  • April 28, 2025

With Prayers and Drones

Dozens of Orthodox military-patriotic clubs across Russia prepare children for war.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955