The Russian leadership is trying to attract more volunteers to participate in the war against Ukraine by offering future soldiers more money, DPA reported, citing BTA.
According to a decree signed today by President Vladimir Putin, anyone who signs a contract between August 1 and December 31 agreeing to be sent to the front will receive a one-time payment of 400,000 rubles ($4,650). This is more than double the previous amount of 195,000 rubles. In addition, the monthly salary increases, which is significantly above the average income in Russia.
Since Russia began compulsory mobilization of reservists in the fall of 2022, it has relied primarily on financial incentives to recruit soldiers. Many regions offer their own cash bonuses for signing a contract.
In Moscow, for example, a one-time premium of 1.9 million rubles ($22,000) was introduced this month for contracts of one year or longer. Several regions have increased special payments in recent weeks to gain a national advantage in recruiting new fighters.
In St. Petersburg, the one-time premium is 1.9 million rubles, in the Rostov region it is 1.2 million rubles, and in the Sverdlovsk region – 400,000 rubles, which is the minimum amount set by the Kremlin.
In Moscow and other Russian cities there are posters that advertise frontline service with attractive sums written on the posters. Since many people, especially in the countryside, earn very little, signing a conscription contract is considered a relatively easy way to earn a significant amount of money by Russian standards.
The Defense Ministry said this month that 190,000 Russians have signed such contracts since the start of the war. In the fall of 2022, the forced mobilization announced by Putin sparked protests and a wave of emigration. Therefore, the authorities are trying to solve the staffing problem by allocating more funds to the reservists.