https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1986839224096612368?s=20

This is important.

Russia and its propaganda machine targeting the Global South seek to build a cheap and inexhaustible reserve of expendable soldiers.

Many impoverished people, poisoned and deceived by Kremlin propaganda and anti-Western rhetoric, head to the war in Ukraine in hopes of earning money. Russian "tourism" companies have essentially become recruitment agencies for war - and, in most cases, it’s a one-way ticket.

Contract military service in the Russian army is becoming increasingly popular among Iraqi citizens. The conditions offered by the Russian military seem attractive - Iraqis are promised salaries of up to $2,800 per month, which is about four times higher than the average income in Iraq, as well as a one-time payment of up to $20,000 for signing a contract.

Offers being circulated on platforms like TikTok and Telegram include substantial monetary compensation, a sign-up fee, insurance, pension options, and even Russian citizenship.

Moreover, recruitment is often framed as a "job opportunity" rather than an explicit war contract: some recruits are told they’ll serve in support roles (drivers, cooks, logistics) but end up in combat on the front line with little support.

Families of recruits often lose contact with them; many recruits are reported missing, injured, killed or returned in body bags.

Some vivid cases:

▪ The last TikTok post of a young Iraqi man, Mohammed Imad, 24, showed him in military gear beside a Russian flag. He asked viewers to "pray for me" - and has not been heard from since. Shortly before that he had travelled to Russia without his family’s knowledge, enlisting to fight for Russia’s armed forces.
>part 1