Behind the ads Ukrainian units make to compete with one another
Amid a nationwide shortage of soldiers and growing competition among brigades, Ukraine’s military units are turning to advertising agencies to help them stand out and boost recruitment.
Editor’s Note: Compared to Ukraine’s military brigades, we can’t afford to flood your cities with billboards reading 'The Counteroffensive' to rally support for our storytelling approach to the war in Ukraine. But we can keep doing our best — diving deep into human experience and uncovering the unique stories that reveal what life is really like on the ground, beyond the headlines.
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Don’t let the voice of democracy fade.
Imagine looking at a billboard in the street and instead of seeing a sign for Coca-Cola or Adidas, you lock eyes with a Ukrainian soldier. He is urging you to join his brigade.
This isn’t some sci-fi vision taken out of a movie: it’s everyday life in Ukraine, where the challenge of military recruitment has moved far beyond the front lines.
Military ads are now found in the metro stations, in big billboards in the streets, and even show up on coffee mugs and shirts.
Alina Tkachenko, the brand leader at one of Ukraine’s most popular advertising agencies, is one of those helping ensure that these ads spread to even more cities.
“The full-scale war has added a lot of creativity to the Ukrainian military, including its advertising. Billboards and videos [television advertising] have appeared everywhere. This [military service] has become a part of the advertising market,” she said.
Ukraine is unique in the world in that its units compete with each other for talent. The government approved a decentralized recruitment process in the fall of 2024.
If young soldiers voluntarily sign up for a brigade, they won’t be conscripted into a needs-of-the-army role. This creates an incentive for would-be soldiers to shop around, and for brigades to compete for stronger reputations.
At a time when manpower shortages on the frontline have become a serious problem, each brigade has been finding ways to attract more soldiers.
It’s a deeply human problem that hints at what motivates people – what message would get people off the couch to risk their lives for their country?
Alina, 30, has been working for the past five years at Fedoriv agency, considered one of the leading Ukrainian advertising agencies.
Alina was initially more inclined to work in the arts. She was working in an art gallery but decided it wasn’t the right fit.
“I was disappointed with this field, so I decided to try my hand at advertising. I worked hard and quickly achieved success. After two years, I gained experience and moved to Fedoriv Agency. It’s my dream company,” Alina said.
She was promoted to brand leader at the beginning of 2025 and manages a team of 11 people. Their work starts from brainstorming creative ideas and ends when the work is seen on billboards or the internet.
One of their clients is the Kharkiv-based military unit ‘Khartia’, which initially started as a volunteer battalion of 150 people and is now a 5,000-personnel brigade.
Competition between units has been ongoing since the full-scale invasion began, as each unit seeks to recruit the best soldiers. This has led to a boom in military advertising, which has flooded the streets of Ukrainian cities, television, and radio.
‘Khartia’ contacted the Fedoriv agency to attract even more people to its ranks.
"We were involved in transforming their then-current insignia. It was a bow and arrow, a well-known Kharkiv motif. But we modernized it. And it became a recognizable feature of the brigade," Alina explained.
Once the rebranding was done, ‘Khartia’ began to promote its advertising through some of its regular channels and expanded its ads to billboards, radio, television, and social networks.
Alina and her colleagues created a new advertising strategy for them. At first, they pitched 10 campaigns to them. Khartia’s team was most impressed by the idea of soldiers posing in photos like the Colossus of Rhodes.
This is how the idea for a new slogan was born: “Grow with Khartia.”
“I am very concerned about what will happen to the military after the war. Will they be left behind and confused in civilian life? But I know for sure that the military personnel of the ‘Khartia’ will not be. Because now they are gaining experience that will be useful in their civilian careers. And we showed it in our advertisement,” Alina said.
Video of creating advertising billboards of ‘Khartia.’ Video by Fedoriv Agency.
“At many stages, third-party companies agree to do something for us for free. Some agree because our company has a strong brand, and it is prestigious to work with us. Others agree because they are doing it for the Khartia,” Alina explained.
The next step was to create an advertisement for TV. Since the military did not have time to make any videos, all photos were converted into video through AI.
“Sometimes someone grew a sixth finger, and sometimes parts of the body disappeared,” Alina explained.
The ‘Khartia's’ promotional video was created thanks to AI. Video by Fedoriv Agency.
By the end of June, ‘Khartia’s’ advertisements were seen all across Ukrainian cities.
“I'm used to seeing my work on city streets, but ‘Khartia's’ ads are something special. When I see this billboard, I realize how important it is. I want it to be as useful as possible… These ads are only possible because they protect us,” Alina said.
‘Khartia’ is not the only brigade that launched its own recruitment advertising. Several brigades now promote their units in advertisements that are placed around Ukrainian cities.
A video clip in which the 3rd Assault Brigade advertised its recruitment on social networks. In the video, a fortune teller predicts various strange future scenarios. And at the end, the man says that this brigade is ready for anything. Video by 3rd Assault Brigade.
Nationwide mobilization has been ineffective, and Ukraine’s Armed Forces have struggled recruiting the necessary number of people needed to complete their task, said Olha Bandrivska, head of the military department at the recruiting platform Lobby X.
By the summer of 2022, Ukraine's Armed Forces had reached about one million soldiers. In the following year, over 30 new brigades were formed, and more than 40 had expanded. Yet, Ukraine's military soldiers only increased by 50,000, implying that many units were not fully staffed.
It is reported that the number of soldiers in Ukraine's Armed Forces is currently 1,050,000, but that only 300,000 are directly engaged on the frontline. By 2024, Russia's forces were reportedly 600,000.
One of the main problems of mobilization in Ukraine is the lack of service information, said Yevhen Dykyi, former commander of the Aidar battalion. People must know they are not ‘putting on a uniform’ forever or ‘buying a one-way ticket to war,’ he added.
Another problem is that Ukraine’s parliament, Verkhovna Rada, took longer than expected to pass regulations that would increase punishment for evading military registration.
“Centralized mobilization through the TCR [Territorial Center of Recruitment] was insufficient. Therefore, units began to build their own brands, which immediately became employer brands. And people began to flock to these employers,” said Olha Bandrivska, head of the military department at recruiting platform Lobby X.
The most common reasons for people to fear mobilization include lack of training, incompetent commanders, and the possibility of wounds or death, explained Solonskyi.
Amid these fears, ‘Khartia’s’ advertising campaign in the summer of 2024 was: “We guarantee 60 days of training.” Although officially, at that time, the introductory training period was only 30 days as per Ukrainian law.
At the time, Khartia’s message stood out. Most slogans were aimed at feelings of patriotism or courage: "Be yourself. Choose a unit and a specialty,"
“There were a lot of emotional appeals at the time, but we did something different. We presented rational arguments and the advantages of the ‘Khartia’. At the time, only they guaranteed such long-term and high-quality training,” Alina said.
Other units began to pick up on this trend.
The Azov Brigade, known for defending Mariupol in the first months of the full-scale invasion, began to focus on their service helping wounded soldiers return to duty and assisting the relatives of those who have fallen. They were called ‘Angels of Azov’.
Another example is the efforts of the 3rd Assault Brigade, famed for its decisive role in repelling Russian advances near Avdiivka and holding critical front-line positions. They launched a YouTube show ‘Dvizh’, where soldiers answer questions about mobilization.
‘Khartia’ has also launched its radio station, which is run by the Ukrainian writer Serhii Zhadan.
“We have several communication channels, but it's hard to say which one is most effective, billboards or television advertising. It all works together and creates an effective recruitment campaign,” explained Vladimir Degtyarev, spokesperson for ‘Khartia.’
‘Khartia’ has also opened its own Khartia Hubs, which are spaces where the brigade organizes cultural events. It has also collaborated with a coffee producer to place its logo on the packaging.
At the heart of military recruitment in a war where every recruit counts lies the question of what is needed to convince someone to leave their homes and risk their lives for their country.
The battle for this begins not on the front line but in the mind of every Ukrainian, with a message that is strong enough to convince someone to join their brigade.
NEWS OF THE DAY:
By: Zoriana Semenovych
Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
NATO COORDINATES WEAPONS DELIVERIES FOR UKRAINE: NATO is launching a new initiative to coordinate better the delivery of regular, large-scale U.S.-purchased weapons to Ukraine. Two shipments are expected to arrive later this month.
The weapons are tailored to Ukraine’s most urgent battlefield needs, including air defense against Russian strikes targeting civilians. NATO has emphasized that these shipments will be delivered on a regular basis.
RUSSIA AND CHINA TO LAUNCH JOINT NAVAL PATROLS: Russian and Chinese warships plan to conduct joint patrols in the Asia-Pacific region. The drills held by both countries in early August in the Sea of Japan included artillery firing, air defense training, and anti-submarine warfare.
The Pacific Fleet previously stated that the exercises are defensive and not directed against any other country. Although China has not officially acknowledged its involvement in the Russia–Ukraine war, such moves demonstrate its willingness to strengthen its partnership with Russia.
EU AND THE U.S. TRADE WITH RUSSIA CONTINUES: The United States and EU countries continue to trade with Russia, despite the numerous sanctions imposed on Moscow since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to Reuters.
Since January 2022, the EU has imported €297 billion worth of Russian goods, including oil, nickel, natural gas, fertilizers, iron, and steel.
This continued trade underscores Europe’s dependence on Russian energy and industrial exports, complicating efforts to enforce sanctions effectively.
DOG OF WAR
Today's Dog of War is Teddy, the pet of one of our readers.
This cuttie was brought to Switzerland from Kyiv to find a new home abroad - a tiny survivor of war who’s now enjoying a peaceful life far from the frontlines.
So, a Ukrainian dog of war in a park in Zurich.
Stay safe out there.
Best,
Artem
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A wonderful article again sharing something about the war effort and how it's touching everyday Ukrainians. Well done!
I wonder if there are advertising efforts directed at attracting more women for non-combat roles (hence, potentially freeing up more able-bodied men for combat)?
There was significant advertising during the time I was of military age - Vietnam. I did not join. That was a foreign war of choice, however, not an invasion of my country.