Moscow attracts thousands of Euros worth of fighters to the front
The partial mobilization of 2022 triggered a wave of emigration from Russia to other countries. To prevent this from happening again, people are to be convinced to fight in Ukraine through large payments. The Russian capital is now making an especially lucrative offer.
Moscow, the Russian capital, is trying to attract more volunteers for the war in Ukraine and is offering a premium of 1.9 million Rubles (around 20,000 Euro) as a one-time payment upon contract signing. In addition, all previous special payments for soldiers from the capital sent to the front are to remain in place, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin's statement.
In the first year, the total income comes to 5.2 million Rubles (more than 54,000 Euro). This puts the annual salary for Russian contract soldiers from Moscow above five times the average Russian nominal wage in the first quarter of 2024. Some economists warn of risky imbalances. The high pay for soldiers serving in Ukraine has already become a benchmark for the economy, leading to a spiral of wage growth in all sectors as workers there demand the same wage level.
The Russian regions have recently raised the premiums for signing a volunteer contract significantly to recruit more soldiers for the war. This is an attempt to circumvent a new partial mobilization. In the fall of 2022, a decree by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin led to forced recruitment of reservists, resulting in protests and a wave of emigration to other countries. The power apparatus is trying to solve the logistical problem of supplying the front with personnel through money.
190,000 Russians have signed contracts
Posters advertising service in the war are everywhere in Moscow and many other Russian cities. Often, the attractive sums are directly visible on the billboards. Since many people in the province earn little, military service is a relatively simple way for Russians to make a lot of money quickly.
According to official figures, only about 45,000 men have registered for military service in Moscow - since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin may now be able to cope better with the new financial incentives. The Defense Ministry reported this month that since the beginning of the year, 190,000 Russians have signed contracts for military service. The ministry pays a one-time bonus of 195,000 Rubles (approximately 2,000 Euro).
- The high pay for soldiers serving in Ukraine has led to an increase in military deployments from various Russian cities, with Moscow being particularly active.
- The attack on Ukraine and the subsequent conflict have led to controversial policies in Russia, such as offering lucrative payments to convince people to join the military and fight in Ukraine.
- Despite the ongoing Ukraine-Conflict and the controversial partial mobilization, Russia continues to rely on military deployments, leveraging financial incentives to secure manpower, as seen in the increasing number of contracts signed for military service.
