Acting through mercenary proxy, Russia’s Defense Ministry starts recruiting women to serve as snipers and drone pilots in Ukraine

The mercenary group Redut, which operates under the control of Russia’s Defense Ministry, has started recruiting women for combat roles in the “Borz” volunteer battalion for deployment to Ukraine, according to journalists at iStories.

Redut posted its announcement on the social network Vkontakte, offering a starting monthly salary of 222,000 rubles ($2,355). Candidates without firearm skills are being offered a month-long boot camp in Donetsk. Redut says compensation for battlefield injuries ranges from 1 to 3 million rubles (roughly $21,000), while death benefits reach 5 million rubles (about $53,000). Mercenaries who complete their contracts are granted the status of combat veterans.

Posing as interested applicants, iStories reporters contacted a Redut recruiter and learned that the organization hopes to expand its labor pool by hiring women snipers and UAV operators. “My role as unit commander is to prove that women were created for more than kitchens and children,” the recruiter told iStories. At least three women are already serving in Ukraine with Redut’s Borz battalion.

• In March 2023, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu claimed that 1,100 women were participating in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, noting that a third of these soldiers had already received state awards.