Russia recruits soldiers on Discord: how South Africa uncovered the scheme with the gamers' messenger.

According to ТСН: Russia has come up with a new way to replenish its military ranks, recruiting youth through a popular messenger for gamers.

The recruitment scheme turned out to be quite simple, yet effective for untrained youth. Two young men, around 20 years old, left their homes in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) back in July last year. The reason for their departure was communication in the Discord app with a person under the nickname

@Dash

An anonymous curator offered these young men to sign a one-year contract with the Russian army. The place of service was indicated as a military unit near St. Petersburg.

The recruiters resorted to tricks: instead of the truth about combat operations, they painted bright prospects for the South Africans — the opportunity to obtain Russian citizenship and continue their education in Russia after completing their service.

However, the reality turned out to be quite different. After a short basic training, the recruits were sent to the front. The outcome of this adventure was tragic:

• One of the recruits died on the front line in the Luhansk region as early as October 2024.

• The fate of another man remains unknown.

Sources report that this recruitment practice arose due to a shortage of manpower in the Russian military, which is suffering significant losses on the Ukrainian front.

The actions of the Russian side sparked an international scandal and a strong reaction from law enforcement agencies in South Africa. It's important to note that since 1998, RSA legislation strictly prohibits its citizens from participating in wars for foreign states or providing them with support.

The country's authorities have already taken active measures: at the end of November, a woman working for the state radio and four men were arrested, who were officially charged with illegal recruitment. The next court hearing in this high-profile case is scheduled for February 10.

South Africa is not the only country where Russia is looking for new soldiers. There have been recorded cases of recruiting citizens from Kenya, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso. However, the use of the Discord gaming app in the South African case has become a unique method. In other countries, recruiters acted according to more traditional schemes.

Experts emphasize that such actions by the Kremlin indicate the exhaustion of internal mobilization resources of the Russian Federation, as the number of willing participants among Russians is decreasing.

As a reminder, in occupied Alchevsk, an accident involving drunken Russian soldiers from the 88th Brigade occurred. As a result of the accident, the commander of the 136th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the RF Armed Forces, Erik Selimov, as well as three of his subordinates, died.

This information about the fatalities was officially confirmed by the head of Dagestan, Sergey Melikov, and the details of the incident were disclosed by Ukrainian journalist Denis Kazansky.

This situation demonstrates that Russia is looking for new ways to fill its military ranks due to a shortage of manpower at the front. The recruitment method through Discord indicates the adaptation of Russian military strategies to new conditions, as the war continues and resources are depleted. At the same time, the response of the South African authorities indicates their readiness to protect their citizens from participation in wars abroad.