Russian universities ordered to help Putin recruit students amid struggle to replace troops in Ukraine
Students from St Petersburg to Siberia have come under direct pressure to drop out and join the army, leaked audio has revealed
Russian universities have allegedly been told that they must convince 2 per cent of students to sign up for the army amid reports Vladimir Putin is struggling to replace his dead soldiers in Ukraine.
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Valery Falkov, the education and science minister, issued the order at a meeting with rectors of Russia's largest universities, according to exiled Russian opposition journalist Farida Rustamova.
Her report cited an unnamed rector from Moscow and a Siberian academic, both of whom were present at the meeting.
If the target is met, it would mean an additional 44,000 soldiers for Putin’s deployed army, or 76,000, if it is extended to colleges, the report claimed.
Students from St Petersburg to Siberia have reportedly come under direct pressure to drop out of their schools and join the army, leaked audio has revealed.
In late February, at least 70 educational institutions in Russia had reportedly joined efforts to recruit students.
Students have reportedly been forced to attend recruitment meetings and received threats of punishment for failing to appear, it is understood.
Some students, particularly those with poor academic performance, have been summoned individually by university authorities and encouraged to sign contracts.
They are often promised a one-year contract and free tuition following a stint in the army, and are told that they will be deployed at a safe distance from the Ukraine frontline, according to DW.
T-invariant, an independent media platform, has claimed: "First it was students from technical universities, then those facing expulsion, and now it has reached all students.
"Universities have been given recruitment quotas, students are being lured with additional university payments and threatened with denial of retakes for failed courses."
The Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok was asked to help the army recruit 32 students for the war in February, according to classified documents published by a former adviser to the university’s rector.
In several leaked audio recordings, university staff can be heard attempting to pressure students to sign up.
“You will be granted academic leave for the duration of the contract, after which you may resume your studies,” the Higher School of Economics in Moscow was heard telling students.
In February, western officials estimated that between 30,000 and 35,000 Russian soldiers are recruited each month. But the number of those killed over in the three months prior to this is believed to have been higher than those who joined up.
Western officials believe this will have a significant impact on the Kremlin's ability to "generate offensive power" for a spring or summer offensive, meaning that any Russian forward march would be sluggish.
It also raises the prospect of "coercive" mobilisation within Russia, such as conscription, rather than relying on the promise of large financial rewards to recruit soldiers.
But this week, Moscow rejected claims it was planning a new round of nationwide mobilisation.
In the Kremlin’s first and only round of mobilisation since invading Ukraine in February 2022, hundreds of thousands of people fled Russia to avoid compulsory military service.
Drone attacks continue to be the driving force behind the casualty rate on the battlefield, and officials believe that ground-based drones - so-called unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) - will become ever more present over the coming year.