Moscow's campaign for students to sign army contracts comes as the Kremlin seeks to sustain its war effort for a fifth year.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/54631718

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Replacing the dead and wounded has become key to maintaining Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, and authorities have presented the scheme that Averin [a former student turned soldier whose death has been verified by the BBC] was recruited through as a voluntary route into a modern, high-tech and relatively safe branch of the military.

Students are offered a special one-year contract to serve in a new branch of the military known as “unmanned systems troops” - as drones have become central to the war in Ukraine.

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[Averin’s] mother believes he was not used as the protected technical specialist he had expected to become: “He said nothing would happen to him.”

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    • Sepia@mander.xyzOP
      5·
      12 days ago

      Thanks,but it’s strange. Here all is freely accessible. I was not aware that the BBC has paywall.

      • zabadoh@ani.social
        7·
        12 days ago

        Here in the US, some articles are free, but others are paywalled.

        It’s unpredictable.

        But I understand the need to raise money, given the BBC’s budget woes (free article) from the decline in UK TV license fees from less people watching traditional TV these days.

        I’m sure in the UK it’s free, possibly elsewhere.

        • Sepia@mander.xyzOP
          5·
          12 days ago

          Thanks for this. I didn’t know this, but so I’ll archive the BBC when posting from now on.