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Russian opera singers, actors and circus performers will be sent to the front lines to boost the “fragile morale” of troops in the face of mounting losses, Britain’s Defense Ministry said.
The Russian Defense Ministry is establishing two ‘front-line creative brigades’, which are being deployed in a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
These will include a variety of performers, including opera singers, actors and the circus, Russian media reported.
It follows on from a recent campaign by the Russian Defense Ministry that called on citizens to donate musical instruments to soldiers to lift their spirits.
“It is almost certain that fragile morale remains a significant vulnerability in much of the Russian force,” the British Defense Ministry said in a statement.
“Military music and organized entertainment for deployed troops have a long history in many armies, but in Russia they are strongly intertwined with the Soviet-era concept of ideological political education.”
Russian opera singers, actors and circus performers will be sent to the front to “raise the morale of the troops.” file image
Two ‘front-line creative brigades’ will include a variety of artists, including opera singers, actors and circuses, Russian media reported. file image
The Russian Defense Ministry is establishing two ‘front-line creative brigades’. In the photo, Russian recruits
“However, soldiers’ concerns are primarily centered around very high casualty rates, poor leadership, pay issues, lack of equipment and ammunition, and a lack of clarity about the goals of the war.
“The efforts of the creative brigades are unlikely to substantially alleviate these concerns.”
Yesterday it was revealed that Russia is ready to ‘prolong the period of compulsory military service for young people from one to two years’.
A high-ranking military commissar let the dynamite plan out of the bag in a television interview, likely to trigger a major backlash.
The aim of the ‘Back to USSR’ recruitment scheme appears to be to provide Putin with even more young men to fight his war in Ukraine.
Lt. Col. Mikhail Fotin said in a video that 18- to 27-year-olds will be called up for one and a half years starting in spring 2023 and two years starting next year’s fall draft.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, speaks to officers aboard a military helicopter at an undisclosed location in Ukraine.
Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Fotin said in a video that Russia is ready to “extend the period of conscription for young people from one to two years.”
The Russian Defense Ministry declined to comment on the plan. President Vladimir Putin is pictured (left) with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (right) in April 2022, at the Kremlin, Moscow.
This would restore the conscription system in the Soviet Union.
Since 2008, men are subject to one year of conscription.
Fotin blamed NATO’s expansion near Russia’s borders.
The Russian Defense Ministry declined to comment on the plan which sparked a social media frenzy.
An immediate order was given to remove the explosive video of Fotin from television screens.
The commissar of the Moscow region had said: ‘There will be a transition period in spring [2023].
The citizens called up in the spring will be one and a half years old.
‘And those recruited in the fall of 2023 will be two years old.
‘I find this decision quite logical, given that our neighbors to the north [Sweden and Finland] join NATO.
No recruitment plans have been officially announced, but there have been strong rumors that Putin wanted to wait until after the New Year holidays in Russia to reveal the bomb.
It comes as the Transport Secretary announced the extension of a travel plan helping Ukrainian evacuees to safety in the UK today.
The free onward travel scheme will continue to grant all Ukrainian evacuees arriving in the UK free travel by train, coach, tube or bus to their final destination for a further six months.
The Transport Department said it is working with carriers to ensure there is support for Ukrainian arrivals across the country.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “We know that for those who have had to flee their homes in Ukraine and find refuge in the UK, this support has been vital, partly easing the difficult journey to safety.”
“We will continue to do everything we can to support Ukraine and Ukrainians, and this scheme is an important first gesture on your arrival in our country.”
More than 2,900 Ukrainian evacuees have used the scheme, making it easier for Ukrainians fleeing war to reach a safe haven in the UK.
The Transport Secretary said he is also writing to train, bus and coach operators to thank them for their generosity in facilitating the scheme and their willingness to continue offering it.
Onward travel is an area of support commonly requested by refugees.
The scheme, which was launched in March 2022, provides arriving Ukrainians with a single free public transport journey within 48 hours of arrival at major English ports of entry to their final UK destination.