Russia raises military contract payments to over 4 million rubles amid shortage of willing recruits – CCD
Russian authorities are sharply increasing one-off payments for signing contracts with the Ministry of Defence in an attempt to offset a shortage of people willing to fight against Ukraine. The financial burden is being shifted onto regional budgets, many of which are already in crisis.
The Kremlin is demanding that regional authorities increase payments to new contract soldiers despite the regions’ deteriorating financial situation, Censor.NET reports, citing the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD).
According to the CCD, some of the highest payments are currently being offered in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, at 4.1 million rubles. Payments range from 3.6 million to 4.1 million rubles in Dagestan, while Karachay-Cherkessia offers 3.1 million rubles and the Smolensk region 2.1 million rubles.
Analysts noted that due to the shortage of people willing to sign contracts, some regions have begun offering payments even to those who bring new recruits to military enlistment offices.
The Center for Countering Disinformation stressed that following the Russian army’s heavy losses in the war, the flow of so-called volunteers continues to decline. The Kremlin is therefore trying to boost recruitment not through patriotic appeals but through ever-larger financial incentives.
To meet these demands, regional authorities are being forced to cut funding for civilian needs, particularly social programmes, education, healthcare and infrastructure repairs.
The CCD believes that this policy will have long-term consequences for Russia itself. According to its analysts, the combination of depleted regional budgets, economic problems and demographic losses caused by the war risks triggering a large-scale crisis whose effects will be felt for many years.
