Russia is now offering a record-breaking signing-on bonus for new recruits to fight in Ukraine, in the latest sign of a scramble to boost Russian troop numbers.
The enticement comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin struggles to recruit soldiers for his army as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its third year.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin introduced the one-time signing bonus of 1.9 million rubles (about $22,000) for city residents who join the military, according to a statement on Tuesday night, July 23.
“Anyone taking up the offer would earn as much as 5.2 million rubles ($59,600) in their first year of service,” the statement read in part.
Those willing to join the fight in Ukraine can also receive one-time cash payments of about $5,690-$11,390 for injuries, “depending on the severity,” and the family of a soldier killed in action could be paid $34,150.
It is estimated that Russia has lost 87% of the active-duty ground troops it had prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine and two-thirds of its pre-invasion tanks, a source familiar with a declassified US intelligence assessment provided to Congress revealed in December last year.
As personnel deaths mount, the Kremlin is looking for fighters to send to the front.
Putin has ordered the country’s military to increase troop numbers by 170,000, which would take the overall number of Russian military personnel to more than 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops, according to a decree published by the Kremlin in December.
That equates to boosting the Russian army’s size by 15% and marks the second such expansion of the army since Putin launched its invasion.
Putin initially ordered an immediate “partial mobilization” of Russian citizens in September 2022 following a string of defeats that caused recriminations in Moscow. The mobilization meant citizens who were military reservists could be called up and that those with military experience were subject to conscription.
The war has sparked an exodus of military-age men fleeing the country to avoid joining the war.