Lipetsk region head Igor Artamonov’s appeal to prisoners for a Moscow post draws mockery from inmates

A new recruiter, described as bald, has appeared in Russia to recruit prisoners for the war.

Several sources reported that during his recent visit to IK-6, the governor of the Lipetsk region, Igor Artamonov (a former vice president at Sberbank), in the presence of masked special forces with rifles and helmets, began urging inmates to sign up for the war, saying it was necessary “to defend the Fatherland.”

The official met with little understanding. Sources link the fiery speech to the fact that his region is falling short of the quota for new contract soldiers set from Moscow, and he decided to take recruitment into his own hands, as he plans to assume a federal government post in the fall.