Russian mercenary group attempting to recruit women to fight on frontline, UK says
A Russian mercenary group is attempting to recruit women into combat roles in Ukraine for the first time, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has revealed.
Recruitment adverts on social media have been appealing to female recruits who wish to join a Russian private military company called Redut.
In the latest defence update on X, formerly known as Twitter, the MOD said: "It remains unclear whether official Russian defence forces will seek to follow suit and open more combat roles to women.
"A Russian state-backed private military company (PMC) is specifically attempting to recruit women into combat roles in Ukraine for the first time," the MOD said.
"Recent social media adverts have appealed for female recruits to join Borz Battalion, a part of Russian PMC Redut, to work as snipers and uncrewed aerial vehicle operators.
"Redut is likely directly sponsored by the Russian Main Directorate of Intelligence (the Russian armed forces' foreign military intelligence agency).
"In March 2023, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that 1,100 women were deployed in Ukraine, which would equate to only around 0.3 per cent of its force. As Redut's advert points out, they currently serve in mostly medical support and food service roles."
Russian women have rarely been seen in combat roles on the frontline since the Ukrainian conflict began.
However, there has been a tradition of females acting as snipers within the Russian military since the Second World War.
One famous example was Roza Georgiyevna Shanina, who was the first female Russian sniper to receive the Order of Glory after the Germans invaded the Soviet Union.
In contrast, women have been serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
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