The number of new advertising agencies has surged sharply in Russia. Army recruiters may be operating under their cover

The number of new advertising agencies has surged sharply in Russia. Army recruiters may be operating under their cover

In 2025, more than 37,000 new advertising agencies were created in Russia, three times more than in pre-war 2021, according to Rusprofile data, writes The Moscow Times.

In the first half of 2026, the number of new agencies had already exceeded 23,000. The spike in registrations of advertising firms coincides with the start of recruitment campaigns, and recruiters often disguise themselves as advertising agents. In total, since 2022 more than 110,000 advertising companies have been opened, including more than 99,000 with sole proprietor status.

The number of new registrations of staffing agencies is also growing in the country. Since the start of the war, more than 12,500 enterprises have been registered, nearly 10,000 of them sole proprietors. They may help state enterprises select “candidates for military service under contract.”

The agencies hire recruiters who place ads in major Telegram channel networks and bring candidates to those regions where they are ready to accept a specific contract soldier.

💜Earlier, Verstka reported on the multi-level system of recruitment for the war against Ukraine. Both “local tough guys” and women on maternity leave persuade people to sign a contract with the Defense Ministry.

How recruiters make money, and how much, by persuading men to sign a contract with the Defense Ministry and go to the front, read in our report (with VPN):

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Verstka

"Bring a Friend," or How Russians Make Money by Sending Each Other to War

Both “local tough guys” and women on maternity leave persuade people to sign a contract with the Defense Ministry