Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree raising the one-time payment for new military recruits enlisting to fight in Ukraine by the end of the year to 400,000 rubles (€4,300).
This announcement was made on Wednesday through the Russian government’s legal portal.
These financial incentives reflect the Russian government’s ongoing efforts to attract more recruits as the conflict in Ukraine continues.
In addition to this lump-sum payment, new recruits will receive signing bonuses of at least 400,000 rubles (€4,300) from regional budgets. In some areas of Russia, these payments are even higher.
For example, recruits from Moscow are offered 1.9 million rubles (€20,400), those from the Krasnodar region in southern Russia receive 1 million rubles (€10,700), and new enlistees in Dagestan are paid 500,000 rubles (€5,340).
According to the Re:Russia think tank, the total annual payments to military personnel involved in the conflict, along with compensation to their families, now range between 2.75 trillion and 3 trillion rubles (€29.5 billion–€32 billion).
This expenditure is equivalent to approximately 1.5% of Russia’s estimated GDP for 2024 and 8% of its total federal budget.
When Russia announced partial mobilization on September 21, 2022, the initial lump-sum payment for enlisting was set at 195,000 rubles (€2,100).
