Russia's Military Recruitment Efforts - Bringing Religion into the Special Military Operation in Ukraine

Here is a newly released video from the Russian Ministry of Defense:

The 90 second video shows a battle apparently between Russian and Ukrainian forces with an appeal to Russia's wide-ranging religious groups:

 

1.) Orthodox Christianity - an icon of St. George, an important saint in the Orthodox religion, who represents the trump of God and goodness over evil and the Devil.  In this part of the video, the soldier is shown making the sign of the cross as he is under artillery fire.

 

2.) Islam - a tank crew member is shown reciting a Muslim prayer.

 

3.) Buddhism - a sniper reads a Buddhist matra while holding his prayer beads.

 

4.) Orthodox Christianity - a Russian infantryman is shown wearing and kissing a silver cross around his neck with a Russian armoured column coming wot his rescue with a caption reading "We are [ ]. God is with us."  The blank space is filled with the names of two dozen major ethnic groups that populate Russia, including Ukrainians at the end of the video, stating that "We are Russians" (Мы русские) at the very end.

 

5.) Islam - a tank driver is shown praying to Allah.

 

It's interesting to see how Russia is invoking religious beliefs to attract Russian citizens to the special operations in Ukraine.

Let's look at some statistics.  According to the Ministry of Defense's 2023 Activity Results we find the following:

 

1.) 650,000 Russian military personnel have gained combat experience during the special military operation.

 

2.) Over 1,500 people apply for military service every day.

 

3.) 490,000 contract military personnel and volunteers joined the Russian Armed Forces in 2023.

 

4.) over 4,000 Russian students have volunteariy taken an academic leave and are performing combat missions.

 

5.) 272 people have become Heroes of Russia/Gold Star, the highest honorary title of the Russian Federation bestowed on individuals that are connected to a heroic feat of valour, during the special military operation.

 

6.) over 320,000 people have received state honours during the special military operation.

 

7.) over 13,500 mercenary fighters have arrived in Ukraine with 8,500 from Europe, 1,700 from Asia and 2,700 from North and South America.

So, why would Russia feel that it is necessary to recruit more fighters into its military?  Here are just two of many reasons:

1.) NATO's eastward expansion to Russia's borderlands:

2.) The Eastern Aurora mission also on Russia's doorstep:

  

Russia, the beneficiary of Nazi Germany's incursion into its heartland that led to the deaths of tens of millions of Soviet citizens and soldiers feels threatened for some reason.

Here's a final quote from the ministry, encouraging Russians of all ethnicities and religious affiliations to come together to face a common enemy:

 

"We are Russians. God is with us. Prayer is not just words, it is a powerful force. Be with the strong, be with us, join your comrades."

Isn't it interesting how God is seemingly on both sides of a war no matter how just the cause may appear to be?