Job advertisements for trench diggers and construction workers in the Kursk region have surged online as Russian forces struggle to hold back advancing Ukrainian troops after a surprise offensive last week. The BBC’s Russian service reported finding at least 30 listings for trench diggers on the classifieds website Avito, offering up to 371,000 rubles ($4,000) for unspecified work periods. Avito later removed the ads after reaching out to the Russian Defense Ministry about them.
A recruiter from one of the companies offering trench-digging jobs mentioned urgent need for around 500 workers, offering daily pay from 5,000 to 7,000 rubles ($56-79) with potential weekends off. The hazardous work under the “anti-terrorist regime” introduced by Putin raises concerns, but new hires will be insured and undergo a trial period in Moscow or St. Petersburg before deployment to Kursk. U.S. military analysts predict heightened Russian efforts in constructing border fortifications after existing defenses failed against Ukrainian advances.
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