The Russian army announced on Wednesday an increase in the number of people volunteering to fight in Ukraine since last month’s devastating terrorist attack on a music concert hall in Moscow, with the number of volunteers reaching 16,000 after the incident.
The terrorist organization ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, which claimed the lives of over 140 people and was the deadliest of its kind in Russia in years.
However, President Vladimir Putin has continued to assert that Ukraine was involved in planning the attack.
The Ministry of Defense stated on Wednesday, “Over the past week and a half, recruitment centers have seen a significant increase in the number of individuals willing to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense to participate in the special military operation.”
Moscow refers to its comprehensive assault on Ukraine as a “special military operation.”
The ministry noted that over 100,000 people have volunteered to fight so far in 2024, with 16,000 of them in the ten days following the attack.
In a statement on Telegram, it said, “Most candidates indicated that the primary motivation for signing the contract was the desire to avenge the victims of the tragedy that occurred on March 22.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the increase in recruitment is further evidence of Russian society’s support for Putin and the military operation.
