In Georgia, job listings for general laborers are being used to recruit individuals for contract service in the Russian Ministry of Defence, the human rights project Idite Lesom (“Get Lost”) reported on its Telegram channel.
According to the project, they were contacted by a man who came across a job posting for general laborers in a Tbilisi employment group on social media. The work was offered in Tbilisi and Rustavi, with compensation set at 200 lari (approximately $200) per day, free accommodation, and a 6/1 work schedule.
After applying, the man was offered a position as a signalman or a security guard; however, the job location was no longer where he resided, but in Ukraine’s occupied Kherson region and Russia’s Belgorod region.
The offered positions promised monthly wages between 170,000 and 210,000 rubles (approximately $2,050–$2,540), as well as free airfare to the hiring country. While identity verification required submitting a passport, the primary condition was signing a contract with the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.
The woman communicating with the man claimed that such a contract was required to obtain a “work license” in border areas. She also sent him sample employment contracts that promised free housing, travel coverage, and medical care.
Under the document’s terms, in the event of early termination of the contract at the worker’s initiative, the employee would be required to reimburse the employer for all incurred expenses.
The man rejected the offer and turned over the chat logs, voice messages, and contract templates received from the Russian recruiters to the Idite Lesom project.
According to the project, on October 18, the man spotted identical job postings on another platform. They likewise advertised vacancies for general laborers in Tbilisi and Rustavi, listing the exact same contact details.
