The Kremlin has been conning young men into fighting in Ukraine by luring them with cushy army jobs like drivers, cooks or even psychologists — then shipping them straight to the frontlines, The Post has learned.

‍Russia shifted its military recruitment campaign this year to promote “non-combat” roles, often used as bait, according to an analysis conducted by London think tank OpenMinds.

“We saw this huge uptick in driver or non-combat posts compared to previous years,” OpenMinds CEO, Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi, told The Post. 6

“It looks like the financial reward itself is just not enough at this stage of the war,” he said referring to the massive $40,000 signing bonuses doled out last year to enlist Russians to fight in strongman Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Army recruitment

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