Russia Putin doubles special payment for war effort

The Russian leadership wants to recruit more volunteers for its war of aggression against Ukraine with even more money. According to a decree signed by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, anyone who signs a contract for deployment on the front between August 1 and December 31 will receive a one-off payment of 400,000 roubles (around 4,100 Swiss francs).

This is more than double the 195,000 roubles paid to date. In addition, there is a monthly salary that is significantly higher than the average Russian income.

Since the forced recruitment of reservists as part of a controversial mobilization in autumn 2022, Russia has relied primarily on financial incentives to recruit soldiers for the war. Many regions pay cash bonuses for signing a contract.

Regions advertise with special bonuses for war deployment

This month, for example, the city of Moscow had set 1.9 million roubles (around 19,400 francs) as a one-off bonus for contracts lasting one year or longer. Several regions have increased their special payments in recent weeks in order to stand out as well as possible in the national comparison when recruiting new fighters.

In St. Petersburg, for example, the one-off amount is 1.8 million roubles, in the Rostov region 1.2 million roubles and in the Sverdlovsk region on the Urals the minimum amount recommended by the Kremlin is 400,000 roubles.

In Moscow and other Russian cities, posters advertise the deployment on the front line. The attractive sums for many Russians can often be seen on them. Because many people earn little, especially in the provinces, going to war is seen as a comparatively easy way to make a lot of money quickly - by Russian standards.

The Ministry of Defense announced this month that 190,000 Russians had signed contracts for war deployment since the beginning of the year. In the fall of 2022, a forced recruitment of reservists ordered by Putin sparked protests and a wave of people fleeing abroad. The power apparatus is therefore trying to solve the personnel problem of supplying the front with money.