In a recent development that is shaping the geopolitical landscape, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree for the conventional spring recruitment campaign, calling 150,000 citizens to mandatory military service, as reported by Radio Free Europe. This move came amidst the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. The recruitment targets men aged 18 and above for a one-year mandatory service or equivalent training during higher education. Notably, the age cap for recruits was raised from 27 to 30 last year, reflecting a broader military strategy.
This recruitment policy has long been a sensitive issue in Russia, with many men attempting to avoid conscription during the biannual recruitment drives. Legally, recruits are not supposed to be deployed outside of Russia, and they were exempted from the 2022 mobilisation that saw at least 300,000 individuals with prior military training called to fight in Ukraine. However, there were reports of recruits mistakenly sent to the Ukrainian front.
The spring recruitment coincides with a time when Russia continues its aggression in Ukraine, a conflict that has been deeply intertwined with ideological narratives and national identity. This intertwining is profoundly evident in the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate’s (ROC MP) stance on the conflict.
As analysed by the Institute for the Study of War, the ROC MP, under the leadership of Patriarch Kirill, a former Soviet KGB officer and a staunch supporter of Putin, has been instrumental in weaving an ultranationalist narrative around the war. The World Russian People’s Council, an assembly organized by ROC MP, recently approved a policy document that advocates for the conquest and absorption of Ukraine and Belarus into a ‘Russian world’. This notion of an ultranationalist Russian world is positioned against globalism and the West, which the ROC MP deems as having fallen into Satanism.
In a significant shift, the ROC MP has framed Russia’s military operation in Ukraine as a ‘holy war’, an existential and civilisational battle. This framing marks a departure from the Kremlin’s previous rhetoric of a ‘special military operation’. By invoking the concept of a holy war, the ROC MP is aligning the conflict with a broader national and religious struggle, potentially garnering greater support within Russia.
The ROC MP’s assertions go further to include the idea that victory in Ukraine would lead to Russia exerting exclusive influence over the entire territory of modern Ukraine. This aligns with Kremlin’s repeated indications of its objective to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty and statehood.
Moreover, the ROC MP is playing a crucial role in shaping domestic policy narratives. It has called for the codification of elements of the Russkiy Mir (Russian World), which transcends Russia’s geographical borders and includes ethnic Ukrainians and Belarusians. This ideology seeks to counter Russia’s demographic crisis by promoting traditional family values and an updated migration policy, aiming to grow the population to 600 million in the next century.
The church’s policy suggestions include restrictions on low-skilled foreign labor, incentives for larger families, and the repatriation of “compatriots” abroad. These recommendations, however, are in tension with Russia’s reliance on migrant labor and highlight the contradictions in Kremlin’s approach to national identity and demographic policy.
The ROC MP’s alignment with Kremlin’s objectives is also reflected in its demographic and migration policy recommendations. They emphasise traditional family values, aiming to address Russia’s demographic crisis, and propose policies to boost population growth. However, these proposals exhibit a paradoxical stance on migrants, given the country’s dependence on foreign labor.
In essence, the ROC MP is consolidating various Kremlin narratives into a cohesive ideology that promotes national identity and demographic resurgence. This ideology is deeply intertwined with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, viewing it as crucial for Russia’s survival and prosperity.
While the Kremlin may not fully endorse the ROC MP’s ultranationalist ideology publicly, it is likely to leverage aspects of it to bolster support for its military efforts in Ukraine and future aggressive actions against its neighbours and the West. This strategy aligns national security with the preservation of a disputed Russian nation and demographic growth, offering expanded justifications for acts of aggression in the name of protecting the Russkiy Mir.
The recent military recruitment drive in Russia and the ROC MP’s ideological stance represent a deepening of the nationalistic and ideological underpinnings of the Ukrainian conflict. These developments not only have significant implications for the conflict itself but also for the broader geopolitical landscape, reflecting a complex interplay of military strategy, national identity, religious rhetoric, and demographic policy.
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