The Russian space company Roscosmos is helping the country’s army to recruit volunteer soldiers in Ukraine while it is doing international cooperation, the British newspaper Financial Times writes.
Russia has come up with yet another way to recruit soldiers to Ukraine while avoiding declaring a military campaign. The country’s national space company, Roscosmos, is attracting new soldiers to the “Uranus Battalion” with advertisements that already resemble video games.
Reported about it The Financial Times.
With one with a promotional video soldiers jump out of a tank in an action-movie style with assault rifles and mortars. Dramatic music plays in the background, which according to the FT is a song composed for the action film by the French band Daft Punk.
– Roscosmos invites you to participate in the voluntary Uranus battalion, says a male voice.
In another promotional video, Roscosmos is said to fulfill “all tasks set by the Ministry of Defense by organizing, equipping and training” the Uranus forces.
Roscosmos still cooperates with the US space agency NASA and regularly sends its cosmonauts to the International Space Station. The West has not imposed sanctions against Roscosmos.
Roscosmos does not agree
According to FT, the origin of the Uranus battalion seems to be in a Moscow self-defense club that has advertised training courses for those who want to become soldiers. The battalion’s website is owned by the “union of sports, patriotic and veteran organizations” called Kilpi ja miekka, founded in 2014. The name refers to the logo of the Soviet intelligence service KGB.
War analyst for the independent Conflict Intelligence Team Ruslan Leviev tells the FT that his team has found no indication that the Uranus Battalion is still operating on the front lines in Ukraine.
Dozens of Russian volunteer forces operate in Ukraine, of which the wage army Wagner has been at odds with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu ordered the troops on Saturday to sign an agreement with the army.
The Uranus Battalion insists on obedience to the Ministry of Defense and says that the soldiers it recruits sign a contract with the Russian military.
Roscosmos has not admitted to supporting the armed forces. The company’s website does not mention the Uranus battalion, and it did not respond to FT’s request for comment.
According to FT, there are several connections between the Uranus battalion and Roscosmos. For example, advertisements for the Uranus battalion can be found on the websites of Turbonasos, which produces equipment for Roscosmos, and Roscosmos’ subsidiary Avtomatika.