The Ukrainian military is trying to implement new approaches to recruiting to the ranks of the Armed Forces to replenish depleted front-line units.
What is known about the new AFU approaches in recruiting recruits?
According to the publication's journalists, units of the Armed Forces are increasingly placing advertisements on billboards and using Instagram for advertising.
Don't wait for the enemy to come to your house. Destroy the enemy together with us, — the authors of the material quote the advertising post of the "Da Vinci Wolves" battalion.
The recruiting campaign is part of efforts to replenish exhausted Ukrainian units on the front lines with new recruits.
Currently, the Armed Forces of Ukraine need fresh forces to hold the front line in the east of Ukraine, where the limited advance of the occupation army of the Russian Federation is currently continuing.
In February of this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the losses of the Armed Forces since the start of the criminal war unleashed by Russia amounted to 31,000 military deaths.
However, analysts and Ukrainian officials, on condition of anonymity, note that this is an underestimate.
In particular, the Ukrainian military on the front lines reports an acute shortage of personnel.
Many units of the Defence Forces on the front lines remain highly depleted.
The Ukrainian authorities are changing the laws and rules of mobilisation and calling on Ukrainian men abroad to return and defend the state.
Military units, especially volunteer units, are struggling to recruit those who are willing to join the fight but fear they have insufficient training, unmotivated comrades, and poor command.
What is known about recruiting methods for one of the most famous AFU units?
There are many people who want to fight, but they want to choose their unit, their commander, — explains the commander of "Da Vinci Wolves" Serhii Filimonov.
It is noted that this is one of the most famous units of the Ukrainian army.
It got its name from its first leader, Dmytro "Da Vinci" Kotsyubail, who dropped out of art school and went to fight against Russia's invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014 as a teenager.
"Da Vinci" died during the fighting in Bakhmut in March 2023.
His funeral was attended by the president of Ukraine and top commanders of the Ukrainian army.
The battalion, which is part of the 59th Special Forces Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, includes actors, football ultras, and a company commander who used to be a paediatrician.
A veteran of the British army who joined them as a volunteer called Filimonov the best commander under whom he served.
The battalion has 50,000 followers on Instagram. There, the unit sells branded goods and publishes motivational videos and photos with patriotic slogans.
The unit received 1,000 applications for admission, much more than it needs to be fully staffed.
This approach contrasts with the state's efforts to force many to join the military.
New Da Vinci Wolves members said they joined the unit because they wanted to fight alongside other volunteers.
No one was brought here by force. Here everyone speaks as equals. These are people who want to fight for our country, — assures 29-year-old Dmytro Zharchenko, former marketing manager of a European company.
Zharchenko was overweight and had health problems, such as migraines, that prevented him from serving, but he solved them by changing his diet.
Because of this, he received the call sign "Vegan".
Bohdan Gerashchenko, a 33-year-old programmer from Kharkiv, came to the Kyiv recruiting point to apply to join.
He said he listened to online interviews with Wolves members and was impressed by their dedication, skills and leadership.
Recruits are sent to a five-day training course at the unit's base in central Ukraine.
They undergo marksmanship and medical training, as well as theory and lessons on the military history of Ukraine, in a tent decorated with photographs of former Ukrainian commanders who resisted Moscow during the Soviet era.
Then, almost all recruits sign official documents and undergo formal training.
