MOSCOW— The Russian government has announced it would hire 10,000 military veterans from the United States and other NATO countries, sources confirmed today.

“Joining our veteran hiring program is as simple as scanning both sides of your military identification card, filling out some paperwork, and taking a short exam,” said Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister.

The hiring initiative follows other recent pushes to hire veterans by American companies, such as Starbucks and Black Rifle Coffee Co., in addition to previous pledges from Waste Management and Walmart to directly recruit Marine Corps infantrymen for janitorial roles.

The program was set to begin last year but was delayed since Kremlin officials were busy closely monitoring the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which it did not interfere in at all.