Cash bonus for a year fighting Russia? Inside Ukraine's youth recruitment drive

A young recruit of the 72nd Chorni Zaporozhtsi Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces attends an exercise, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine April 5, 2025. Ukraine's Defence Ministry launched a recruitment drive for young people, 18- to 24-year-olds, to serve in the military for a year for the equivalent of about $24,000 and hefty bonuses. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

KYIV (Reuters) - You'll receive a generous salary, a bumper bonus and an interest-free loan to buy a home. The challenge? You'll have to fight on the frontlines of Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.

It's a tough sell to young people with their whole lives ahead of them.