Adverts promising four-figure signing bonuses to join the Russian army have been appearing online in neighboring country Kazakhstan.
The adverts promise payment of more than $5,000 to sign on to become a Russian soldier amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to Reuters.
In April U.S. documents estimated that between 15,500 and 17,500 Ukrainian soldiers had died as a result of Russia’s invasion, with the nation’s total casualties estimated to stand between 124,500 and 131,000.
On the Russian side, it’s estimated that some 50,000 soldiers have lost their lives, a figure revealed by independent analysts as opposed to the Kremlin itself.
Russia’s forces include an estimated 50,000 soldiers employed by private mercenary group Wagner; 40,000 are thought to be convicts recruited from prisons in Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has frequently reminded his Western allies of his military’s shortfalls, appealing to the likes of the U.K. and U.S. for fighter jets, modern weapons, and funding.
Russian President Vladimir Putin similarly told state media in June that Russia was running out of “precision-guided munitions, communications equipment, aircraft, drones, and tanks,” but insisted production of the items was being ramped up.
The adverts imply that the Kremlin is also running out of manpower.
The posts seen by Reuters feature both the Russian and Kazakh flags, alongside the slogan “shoulder to shoulder.”
The advert promises a one-off sign-up payment of 495,000 Russian rubles—equivalent to $5,300—to those who sign the contract, as well as a monthly salary of at least 190,000 rubles—the equivalent of $2,000.
The advert also promises mystery extra benefits.
Roman Vassilenko, Kazakhstan’s deputy foreign minister, also previously highlighted to Al Jazeera that under the country’s law, fighting in foreign wars is illegal.
The adverts led to a recruitment website for troops joining in the Sakhalin region, located in Russia’s Far East, according to Reuters.
The report adds that the website lists the Human Capital Development Agency of the Sakhalin region—an organization set up by the local government—as the site’s owner.
The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation for the Sakhalin Region declined to comment when approached by Fortune.
What does Kazakhstan think?
Kazakhstan shares a near 5,000-mile border with Russia, with an estimated 18% of its population ethnically from its northern neighbor.
Some 3.5 million Russians live among Kazakhstan’s population of 19 million, scholarly network Carnegie Endowment estimates.
Despite potential loyalties to the north among its population—and having been part of the U.S.S.R. until 1991—Kazakhstan’s government has criticized the invasion of Ukraine.
Kazakhstan’s Minister of National Economy, Alibek Kuantyrov, told The Interpreter: “We do not support anti-Russian sanctions, but we comply.”
Kuantyrov added that Kazakh companies may suffer as a result of sanctions imposed on Russia, with which the nation has close economic ties.
The Kazakhstan embassies in the U.K. and U.S. were both approached by Fortune for comment.
Kazakhstan’s Official Information Source of the Prime Minister and its Ministry of Information and Social Development did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
