By Oyintari Ben
Vladimir Putin is frantically attempting to revive the dwindling morale of his troops by dispatching opera singers, actors, and circus artists to the front lines.
The Kremlin is using increasingly bizarre techniques as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine progresses to boost the “fragile morale” of its troops in the face of escalating losses.
According to reports, the Russian Ministry of Defence is forming two “first line artistic brigades” made up of musicians, actors, opera singers, and circus performers.
These were established on December 14, according to the UK Ministry of Defence, and came after a recent push by the Russian MoD to encourage the public to contribute musical instruments to the deployed soldiers.
Additionally, they stated that “Fragile morale almost definitely remains to be a serious vulnerability across most of the Russian force.”
However, the main issues that soldiers are worried about are the extremely high mortality rates, bad leadership, pay issues, a lack of supplies including equipment and ammunition, and an unclear understanding of the war’s goals. The efforts of the creative brigades are not expected to significantly allay these worries.
This news comes after one of Russia’s highest-ranking officials reportedly mistakenly disclosed yesterday that the conscription time might eventually double to two years.
In a television interview, Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Fotin stated that young men between the ages of 18 and 27 would be called up for two years starting in the fall of this year, up from the existing one year.
Fotin’s shocking revelation, as he stated that “there will be a transition period in spring [2023],” was swiftly taken off the air. Citizens who are called up in the spring will serve for 1.5 years. Additionally, individuals called up in the fall of 2023 will serve two years.
“Given that our northern neighbours [Sweden and Finland] are joining NATO, I feel this choice to be fairly logical.”
The rumoured future conscription plan appears to be designed to give Putin access to even more soldiers as the New Year approaches.
