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Russia’s army is bleeding, and it’s raising its recruitment bonuses to US military levels to draw in more men.
Russian media reported that new recruits would get a new signing bonus of 1.9 million rubles, or about $22,000 if they sign contracts with the Russian defense ministry.
The announcement said that, including the monthly salary and other benefits, soldiers stand to make around 5.2 million rubles, or $61,000, in their first year of service.
The 1.9 million rubles bonus is nearly double the initial 1 million rubles, which was valid for people enlisting until November 25 last year.
Moscow’s mayor Sergey Sobyanin pledged the new bonus via a decree on July 23, according to the Russian media outlet.
The new package puts Russia on par with the US Army’s quick ship bonus of up to $15,000, awarded to those who report for basic training within 30 days of enlistment for certain military jobs, per the army’s website.
To be sure, the total amount for the US Army can be a lot higher if combined with other enlistment bonuses, reaching $50,000.
For example, qualified Army reserve recruits may be eligible for up to $20,000 in bonuses.
There is also the Ranger Bonus of up to $20,000, which qualified soldiers can look forward to after completing certain ranger training and reporting to their first permanent duty station.
With the new pay package, salaries in the Russian military are so competitive that they surpass those in the country’s lucrative oil and gas industry.
Workers in the oil and gas industry earned 125,200 rubles, or about $1,460 monthly, as of January and February, Bloomberg reported.
Russian soldiers did not always earn this much. Their salaries have increased vastly since the start of the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on February 4, 2022, shortly before he started the invasion, that a lieutenant received only 81,200 rubles (now worth around $946) a month, according to an intelligence update from the UK defense ministry in August.
Moscow’s military is bleeding it dry
Moscow’s new announcement comes as Russia’s war with Ukraine stretches well into its third year, and the Russian army continues to bleed men and money.
Russia allocated at least a third of its 2024 national budget to defense. It would have to fork out about 6% of its budget —about $26 billion— for its promised payouts to its wounded and dead.
There’s no lack of injured or dead soldiers; over 70,000 Russian soldiers were wounded or killed in May and June this year alone in Ukraine, per an update by the UK defense ministry on July 12.
In total, Russia’s casualty count stood at half a million as of May, per the defense ministry.
A report by the New York Times on June 27 revealed that Russia’s military was losing upward of 1,000 men a day in Ukraine in May.
Apart from raising enlistment bonuses, Russia has resorted to a range of tactics to keep its army full, like raising the conscription age from 27 to 30 and making it possible to call up reservists as old as 70.
In April 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing conscription notices to be sent to recruits through a digital government portal.
They could be punished if they don’t report for duty, whether or not they have an account.
Representatives for the Russian military did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
