Outmanned and outgunned by Russian forces on the battlefield, Ukraine’s army urgently needs fresh fighters, as more western military aid is expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
But the queues of patriotic volunteers who lined up outside recruitment centres after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 have long since disappeared.
Ukrainian military units are trying to lure people such as Zolotoverekhky as they seek to raise hundreds of thousands of men needed to hold the line against a renewed Russian offensive.
“It is about control,” Zolotoverekhky said. “It is the knowledge that I have no stupid commander. I have heard of lots of not so fun stories. [But] there are many more motivated people there.”
“EVERYONE WILL FIGHT — choose your unit now,” says one billboard for the Da Vinci Wolves battalion. Officially known as the army’s 67th separate mechanised brigade, it started off as a nationalist paramilitary movement and has fought in eastern Ukraine for a decade.
A different one said: “Join the best team!”, in reference to the Achilles drone unit, part of the elite 92nd assault brigade.
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How would you feel about enlisting in a military unit where 'choosing your own adventure' is a key recruiting promise during a time of war?
