Belarus gets first recruitment website for Russian army, run under state security oversight
A website has appeared in Belarus's national internet domain openly recruiting Belarusians for Russia's military, registered under a body controlled by a Belarusian security agency. Ukrainian foreign intelligence says this shows Minsk's involvement in the war against Ukraine.
Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service (SZR) reports that the first recruitment website has appeared within Belarus's national domain zone, openly calling on Belarusian citizens to sign contracts with Russia's Ministry of Defence to fight against Ukraine. Registration in the top-level domain is overseen by the Operational and Analytical Centre under the Belarusian president — a security body responsible for protecting state secrets.
Who is behind it
According to the intelligence service, the recruitment project is run by a Russian staffing agency called "Bratsky Sindikat". It reportedly promises Belarusians a one-time payment of around $28,000 and monthly pay exceeding $3,100. Recruiters are also offering extra payments for shooting civilians and enemy positions, as well as bonuses for days spent in offensive operations, kilometres advanced, and destroyed Ukrainian military equipment.
Casualties among recruits
The SZR states that as of this year, nearly 2,900 Belarusian citizens have served in the Russian army, of whom at least 440 have been killed.
Law rarely enforced
Although Belarusian law provides for up to 10 years in prison for participating in armed conflicts abroad, the intelligence service says that in practice Belarus frequently overlooks its citizens' presence in Russian armed forces, prosecuting mainly those who fought with private military companies.
In July, Belarus's self-proclaimed president Alexander Lukashenko said he would not send Belarusian troops to Ukraine and supports a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
