Job websites in Russia are advertising trench-digger roles in Kursk province as Russia hastily seeks to boost its defenses.
The roles pay between 150,000-371,000 rubles (around $1,600-$4,000) a month.
It comes after Ukraine launched an audacious cross-border attack on Kursk last week, taking the Russian military by surprise. Ukraine says it has now advanced 390 square miles into Russian territory.
According to experts, Russia’s response to the attack has been hampered by confused command structures and inexperienced troops.
But it’s deploying extra soldiers to the region and building fortifications to stop Ukraine from advancing any further.
The Kremlin has declared a state of emergency and evacuated 132,000 people from Kursk and neighboring Belgorod.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, on Wednesday said that satellite imagery showed that Russia is digging fortifications, “including trenches and anti-vehicle ” defenses around 10 miles from Ukraine’s most advanced positions in Kursk.
“Russian forces appear particularly concerned about major highways and are likely trying to preemptively safeguard important ground lines of communication (GLOCs) to inhibit Ukrainian maneuvers,” it said.
According to analysts, Ukraine’s likely aim with the invasion was to divert Russian troops from Donetsk in east Ukraine, which has been the scene of intense fighting.
It may also seek to use the Russian territory it’s seized as a bargaining chip in future peace negotiations with Russia.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that Russia must “dislodge” the invaders in a televised meeting with top officials on Tuesday.
