It became known what "syndicate" is behind the website recruiting Belarusians to fight for Russia

Recruiters who don't hide

The website openly offers Belarusians aged 18 to 58 to "sign a contract for the SMO" (Special Military Operation). For this, they promise a one-time payment of 2.3 million Russian rubles (about 28 thousand dollars), followed by a monthly allowance of 260 thousand Russian rubles (about 3200 dollars). Additional payments are provided for destroying Ukrainian equipment, as well as for possible injuries and death.

The "recruiters" apparently don't hide at all: .bel is an official national top-level domain. Such an address can only be purchased from accredited registrars in Belarus.

Павялічыць

At the same time, hiring Belarusians for war is illegal. The Criminal Code provides for up to five years of imprisonment for participation in an armed formation of one of the sides or in military actions without permission from the Belarusian state, and for recruitment — from five to ten years, if there were no signs of mercenary activity. For those who go to fight for money, the penalties are stricter: from three to seven years for the mercenaries themselves, and from seven to fifteen years for the recruiters.

"An excellent chance to prove yourself"

The contacts of the website that calls Belarusians to fight for Russia lead to a recruiter named Alexander. Since March 2026, he has been actively publishing advertisements in Telegram chats for job seekers in Belarus regarding recruitment for contract service in the Russian Ministry of Defense and the search for UAV operators, artillery drivers, communications specialists, and medics.

Павялічыць

Many of Alexander's messages have been deleted — probably, chat administrators were not ready to see such advertising. As a result, he switched to mysterious phrases like "only specific guys" and "an excellent chance to prove yourself."

In April 2026, the recruiter stopped flooding chats with ads, and the website защитник.бел (zaschitnik.bel - defender.bel) simply appeared, where Alexander's Telegram account is indicated. Additionally, he created several similar communities on Odnoklassniki.

In a conversation with the publication "Vot Tak," Alexander assured that the service would be legal for Belarusians.

"Nobody had problems [because of us], and a sufficient number of Belarusians are leaving. You'll arrive — you'll definitely meet a dozen countrymen; everything is organized on stream for us," he added.

Who earns from commercial recruitment

The documents of the website targeting Belarusians state that it is run by individual entrepreneur Daniil Olegovich Rodionov, who registered his business in 2022. Its main activity is an advertising agency, with "personnel selection" also indicated as an additional activity.

The organization is positioned as a "professional full-cycle military personnel agency" called "Bratstvo Syndicate" (Brotherhood Syndicate). It even has a mission: "Carefully selecting candidates, evaluating professional qualities and moral and volitional characteristics."

The "syndicate's" clients are military enlistment offices. They are offered to submit an application "to estimate the cost of selection." The price is promised to be calculated individually, but the minimum per person is 600 thousand Russian rubles (about 7100 dollars). The first time, ten candidates will have to be paid for at once; the "agency" only works with prepayment.

Павялічыць

How and where the scheme works

The "syndicate" itself hires recruiters, who are called "specialists in mass selection of candidates for contract service." The remuneration is stated as the same 600 thousand Russian rubles for each recruited contract soldier. However, with the note "up to" — so it might turn out to be less.

Recruiters then look for those willing to go to war for money. The website states that the "agency" already operates in Moscow and the Moscow, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Magadan regions, and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. There are also separate websites for Rostov-on-Don and Naberezhnye Chelny. The Belarusian website is not yet indicated on the "parent" platform.

The website authors claim that their application already has more than a thousand "active agents." If someone wants to work in a new region, they need to pay one million Russian rubles (about 12 thousand dollars) for "implementation."

Founder of the "syndicate" with a difficult biography

Daniil Rodionov himself, under whose name the recruiters' "syndicate" operates, is 32 years old. He is a citizen of Russia, listing Bratsk in the Irkutsk region as his hometown. In the past, Rodionov worked in the gambling sector, and now introduces himself as the operational director of his own sole proprietorship.

Interestingly, the man is listed among those killed in the war. Back in 2023, his death was reported by the VK community "Donbass and Us." There it was also noted that he served in some PMC (Private Military Company).

Павялічыць

It can be assumed that the man did survive — judging by leaked data, online orders were placed and loans were taken in his name already after the report of his death.

To date, Daniil Rodionov's organization has a rich list of legal proceedings: by court decision, the "syndicate" owes more than 4.5 million Russian rubles (53 thousand dollars) to the "Assistance to SMO Participants' Families" fund for some unrendered services. Smaller amounts are owed to an individual entrepreneur and urban power grids. Another case with a different company is ongoing.

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