Russian propaganda ad calls for real men to join army in latest recruitment drive

THE Russian military has launched a video campaign to lure more professional soldiers to fight in Ukraine which challenges those interested to show they are “a real man“ and swap what it casts as hum-drum civilian life for the battlefield. The ad, set to stirring music, follows a report from British military intelligence and Russian media reports that suggest Moscow is seeking to recruit up to 400,000 professional soldiers - on a volunteer basis - to bolster its forces in Ukraine. The ad has so far been released on major Russian social networking sites. Russia, which says it is prosecuting what it calls “a special military operation,“ does not disclose full casualty figures. But up to 43,000 Russians have been killed in what Moscow refers to as its “special military operation in Ukraine“ so far, according to a recently leaked estimate from the U.S. Defence Intelligence Agency. It estimated up to 17,500 Ukrainians had been killed too. The ad, whi