The “Da Vinci Wolves” battalion, one of the most famous units of the Ukrainian army, has launched its own recruitment campaign in connection with the adoption of a controversial mobilization law in Kyiv, Reuters reports.

Ukrainian authorities are trying to tighten anti-mobilization rules as the armed forces are forced to rebuild after nearly two years of war and a failed offensive last summer.

But for Da Vinci’s Wolves, led by Dmytro “Da Vinci” Kotsyubailo until his death at the front last March, recruitment is based on a sense of well-being built up over 10 years of fighting, first with pro-Russian separatists in Donbas and then with the regular Russian army .

“We are mainly looking for people who want to fight, who want to join our unit and understand what awaits them,” the new commander of “Wolves” Serhiy Filimonov said recently. They also want to show Ukrainian men that they can choose where to fight and with whom to serve, part of a wider official effort to attract new volunteers to the armed forces.

Kyiv’s mobilization efforts have been hampered by allegations of corruption and frequent media reports of officers lifting men up to take them to recruitment points. The Ukrainian parliament initially rejected the new mobilization law prepared by the government and returned it to the executive branch for amendments.

It has since returned to parliament, where it is still being debated. Among other things, it is envisaged to reduce the conscription age from 27 to 25 years and increase the punishment for deserters.

But the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine also turned to private organizations to help with recruitment.

“Wolves” has in its composition well-known people in Ukraine

The volunteer unit “Wolves of Da Vinci”, which fought on almost the entire front since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, was transferred to the 59th motorized rifle brigade of the Ukrainian army this month.

Kotsyubailo, the founder of “Wolves”, has been fighting against Russian-backed forces in Donbas as part of a nationalist unit since 2014, and in 2021, President Volodymyr Zelensky was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. Last year, the president of Ukraine attended his funeral.

Kotsyubailo chose the surname “Da Vinci” as a reference to his art education.

The new commander of the unit, Filimonov, is known as a nationalist leader and activist. According to him, the battalion also includes other well-known public figures in Ukraine, from actors to politicians, who, according to him, “have weight in society” and a large number of followers in social networks.

“This allows us to communicate what we want through the Internet,” the unit’s commander told Reuters, adding that the Da Vinci image still plays a central role in recruitment.

Wolves say they have already received 1,000 applications to join as they look for 500 new members.

Follow the latest events of the 723rd day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.