The Russian Army is making efforts to expand the role of women in its ranks in order to recruit new soldiers for the ongoing war in Ukraine. This includes targeting female inmates in prisons, offering them the opportunity to serve in frontline roles in exchange for a pardon and a significant monthly wage. Women are also being featured in recruitment advertisements across the country, with a pro-Kremlin paramilitary unit fighting in Ukraine also recruiting women.
President Vladimir V. Putin has promoted traditional family roles for women, emphasizing them as child-bearers and guardians of social harmony. However, the need for female recruits has led to conflicting policies that seek to recruit women for the military while sending conflicting signals about the roles they can assume in the armed forces. Despite recruitment efforts, some female volunteers have been turned away or sent to reserves, highlighting the contradictions in Russia’s recruitment policies.
Despite the recruitment efforts, female volunteers have faced delays in their deployment to the front lines in Ukraine. Many of those who have enlisted have yet to see combat, raising questions about the reasons for the delays. Female soldiers have reported facing discrimination and traditional gender roles within the military, with some being denied combat roles by their male peers.
The Russian military’s approach to women’s participation differs from Ukraine, where gender restrictions on combat roles have been abolished. There has been a rise in the number of women serving in the Ukrainian military since the invasion, with many women taking on combat roles. Russia has a history of fluctuating military opportunities for women, with the Soviet Union being the first country to call up women for combat during World War II.
The recruitment of female convicts in Russian prisons for military service has raised concerns about the implications for the Russian Army’s reputation. While some female inmates have expressed a desire to join the military for reasons of freedom, money, and regaining self-worth, others have faced challenges including greater social isolation upon release. The delays in deployment for female recruits raise questions about the military’s readiness to incorporate women into combat roles.
Russia’s recruitment strategies for women in the military have been influenced by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the need for new recruits. The portrayal of women in traditional family roles by President Putin has clashed with the need for female soldiers to replenish the ranks. While efforts have been made to recruit women for the military, delays in deployment, discrimination, and conflicting policies have created challenges for female volunteers seeking to serve in combat roles.
