Chief draft officer in Karelia demands several hundred more fighters in war 'against Satan'

According to Andrei Artyemov, chief mobilisation officer in the Republic of Karelia, at least 800 more soldiers need to be mobilised alone from the regional capital of Petrozavodsk.

The number of requested new troops is significantly higher than the number of local men drafted following the Russian mobilisation order of 21st of September 2022

Artyemov took part in a plenary session of the Petrozavodsk town council, the Russian version of the Barents Observer reports.

The war in Ukraine is a fight against Satan, the military man argues.

“Lets realistically look at the state of affairs and say it the way it is: we are domestically far from mobilised. Not everyone understands the level of importance, the needs and dangers of our country with the Satan that we are now encountering,” he said in an address.

“And Satan is real and he is not alone,” he added.

According to the draft officer, there are significant financial benefits provided to soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Contract warriors now have an average salary of 200,000 rubles (€2,300) per month.

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“What other men in our republic get this kind of pay?” he said and added that soldiers are offered addition bonuses if they manage to destroy enemy equipment.

He also criticised state officials and company leaders for reluctance to send employees to the front, and argues that there is a “too high level of attention to human rights,” something that reportedly hampers mobilisation efforts.

Despite the difficulties in drafting men, there are still volunteers ready to fight, Andrei Artyemov says.

And with a slip of the tongue, he said that “the guys are pretty easy to manipulate.”

Then quickly he corrected himself. ” … to motivate them.”