Voenkom (military commissar) Zakharov

Memes of this type show a real military commissar from the Russian military. This meme is not unique to Russia’s war against Ukraine, having been used in memes about students studying poorly and implying that they will leave higher education and be forced into the Russian military. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, the image of Zakharov is used to imply that the Russian military is so desperate for troops that a mere internet image can serve as official conscription.