From Makeup to the Front: Who's Luring Russians to War Through VKontakte?
On VKontakte, every tenth post could be an advertisement for a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Russians are promised service "in the rear" or "on the second or third line," millions in compensation, and security. Some of the advertisements, judging by their visual cues, appear to be created using artificial intelligence: the background is blurred, people's movements are looped, and the cars have no license plates.
What is promised in the contract advertisement?
"I was nervous until the very last minute. I thought I'd sign the contract and be sent straight to the front lines. But in reality, they assigned me here—to the rear, for recovery and construction," the man says in one of the videos. "I got 4,5 million rubles in signing bonuses right away, and every month I get 260 rubles or more on my card. My family is at peace, I'm busy. If you're still hesitating, don't hesitate, click 'details'—there's still room."
In another video, Russians are supposedly invited to "assemble" drones. However, the promised payments correspond to the terms of a standard contract with the Ministry of Defense for participation in the war against Ukraine.
Who orders the contract advertising?
NeMoscow found out which companies and entrepreneurs are behind this type of advertising.
The most public customer turned out to be a Moscow company "Media Resource". It was founded in 2017 by an entrepreneur Anna Avtaykina, founder of the luxury goods resale platform The Cultt, and a native of the Belgorod region Maria Belova.
In 2024, according to Kontur.Fokus, Belova became the sole owner of the company. Media Resource receives state contracts from the St. Petersburg government for social advertising "reflecting the priorities and goals of the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation." The total value of these state contracts exceeds 45 million rubles.
Two more companies advertising contract service appeared only in 2026: Yakut "Spetsremservis" and Moscow "Personnel Reserve".
Spetsremservis presents itself as a recruiting agency for rotational work in the North and Far East. However, the consent to the processing of personal data on its website states that it "assists users in passing medical examinations at military registration and enlistment offices and recruitment centers throughout the Russian Federation."
Entrepreneurs and advertising agencies
Among the individual entrepreneurs who place such advertisements are: Alexander Kondratiev, owner of a Nizhny Novgorod advertising agency BlagovestIn 2025, he sued the Ivanovo-based NGO "Center for Creative Solutions" over debt for "providing services to attract and select candidates for military service under contract." Kondratyev demanded approximately 25 million rubles. According to court decision, the parties entered into a settlement agreement.
Operator of websites for recruiting contract soldiers
Another participant in the advertising campaign is a businesswoman from Sochi. Anastasia Chugunova. She operates two websites recruiting contract soldiers. Chugunova previously headed the youth council under the Sochi mayor and founded a permanent makeup studio. The names of her social media accounts match part of the email address of the individual entrepreneur who handles military recruitment.
In parallel with her efforts to recruit contract soldiers, Chugunova publishes materials about vacations in Turkey, a NATO country.
See also: Conscripts are forced to sign contracts: family stories