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Offers to make employment and medical certificates for Russians looking to avoid mobilisation have spread across Telegram, retailing for between $245-$3,600.
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Recent findings by risk intelligence firm Flashpoint have found a growing market on Telegram for Russian men looking to avoid mobilisation by buying fake employment and medical certificates, with certain actors even offering complete removal of names from the mobilisation database.
Among the certificates include fake employment documents within protected industries such as oil and gas, which the firm found were retailing for AU$3,600.
A Flashpoint spokesperson confirmed that other records included medical certificates declaring that the soldier had HIV or hepatitis which retailed for between $245 and $1,000.
Though, it remains unclear of how many of the Telegram retailers are scammers looking to steal money from desperate Russian soldiers.
Indeed, many of the fake documents are thought to be sold by insiders or threat actors who can gain access to protected records, from where they can generate the certificates.
“Threat actors have mobilised to offer fake certs of chronic illnesses such as HIV and hepatitis, relying on access to electronic health records, similarly to fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates,” Flashpoint analysts have commented.
“Users on the same forums even specified the names of clinics and hospitals where they are able to take care of such requests, while another service combined its offer with a falsified letter from an unnamed Israeli clinic, which would allow the buyer to leave the country ostensibly for medical treatment. The price of these services was typically quoted between 10,000 and 40,000 roubles (circa AU$245-$1,000).”
Interestingly, the Flashpoint analysis even found that some channels were even offering removal of names from mobilisation lists.
“A more straightforward service is the removal of names from databases handled by conscription offices, which often only exist on paper and not digitally. The prices for such services are typically identical to the price of fake health certificates. Here is what we’re seeing in terms of prices advertised on popular forums,” the Flashpoint analyst detailed.
According to the research, the cost of name removals from the mobilisation list are as follows:
- Removal of a name from the database: 25,000 roubles (AU$4,610).
- Temporary deferment: 20,000-30,000 roubles (AU$490-730).
- Emergency “rescue” from the drafting office: 45,000 roubles (AU$1,100).
- Complete removal from any military records: 100,000 rubles (AU$2,440).
The Flashpoint analysis follows a range of failures that have mired Russia’s mobilisation strategy, with hundreds of thousands of Russians having thought to have fled the country. Some sources have placed the number as high as 700,000.
Meanwhile, individuals unsuited to military participation have likewise been called up for service. Reports from the AFP have indicated that a diabetic 63-year-old with cerebral issues as well as a 58-year-old without any military experience were called to support the draft.
