Kremlin raises financial incentives to over $23,000 amid military recruitment shortages

Russia is increasing financial incentives for military recruits due to a severe shortage of new volunteers, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) reported on March 23.

The Kremlin has raised payments for signing the first contract to over 2 million rubles ($23,800) in several regions, with recruits in the Samara region being offered nearly 4 million rubles ($47,600), according to HUR.

New recruitment primarily targets financially struggling individuals and radicalized youth who are easily influenced by propaganda.

“The regular increase in financial bonuses is a forced measure by the Kremlin, reflecting difficulties in filling military units,” HUR’s Telegram post stated.

In July 2024, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin signed a decree establishing a one-time signing bonus of 1.9 million rubles ($22,600) for city residents who join the military.

Russia's federal statistics service, Rosstat, said in 2024 that the average monthly wage across the country was around 87,700 rubles ($1,044).

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The Kyiv IndependentLucy Pakhnyuk