A Russian soldier has claimed that men from rehabilitation centres are being sent to fight on the front lines in Ukraine. In a recent video, the unnamed serviceman described a steady influx of new recruits to his unit, many of whom he said were older, in poor physical condition, and dealing with alcohol addiction.
He said that these men were taken from a facility in Petrozavodsk, near the Finnish border, by so-called "black recruiters", who then seized their bank cards and withdrew their money.
He said of his newly staffed unit: "They f---ing recruited a bunch of cripples who can't even f---ing walk, on top of being mentally unwell.
"I saw it myself - from Petrozavodsk, from Karelia - they recruited these f---ing guys from rehab, f---ing drunks."
The soldier claimed that around 30 of the 40 men in his unit were unfit for service, The Telegraph reported.
He said recruiters - informal or illegal intermediaries - were responsible for bringing them in. These figures are accused of signing up men through coercion, deception or outright fraud, often operating alongside or on the fringes of the official recruitment system.
His account adds to a growing number of allegations that Russia has relied on pressure and manipulation to enlist soldiers who are physically or mentally unfit for combat.
The allegations include men with serious health conditions, mental impairments, and foreign recruits who were reportedly pressured or misled into signing up.
Ukrainian officials say the pattern suggests a strategy in which Moscow increasingly relies on vulnerable recruits, sending large numbers of troops to the front line with little regard for human cost. According to the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre (USCC), Russian military losses in January alone exceeded the number of new recruits by around 9,000 soldiers.
Oksana Kuzan, co-founder and head of the analytical department of the USCC, said: "Given the situation, Russia has indeed been actively recruiting vulnerable groups, including people with various addictions, the unemployed, the ill, and former prisoners, and has also been using different methods to recruit migrants from other countries into its armed forces."
Ms Kuzan said Russian propagandists revealed regional recruitment quotas, with local officials sending almost anyone to the front regardless of fitness.
The USCC added that many men are coerced or intoxicated when signing contracts, with some signatures forged or recruits forced to choose between military service and harsh prison sentences.
