Putin more than doubles lump-sum payment for joining war against Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 31 ordered an increase in the sign-on bonus for new military recruits to serve in Ukraine to 400,000 rubles (over $4,600).

The presidential decree published on the government website effectively doubled the lump-sum payment of 195,000 ($2,260) rubles initially promised to recruits in September 2022.

Russia seeks new soldiers for its war as the full-scale invasion continues to take a heavy toll on its military's manpower.

All Russian citizens and foreigners who signed up for one-year service between Aug. 1 and the end of 2024 will be eligible for the increased bonus.

The document says that the payment is intended to provide "additional means of social support" for soldiers and their families. It also recommends that Russian occupation authorities in Ukraine offer an additional sum of 400,000 rubles.

Regional authorities across Russia have already begun offering other financial incentives for potential recruits.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin signed a decree on July 23 establishing a one-time signing bonus of 1.9 million rubles ($21,200) for city residents who join the military.

While other regional authorities have also instituted their own signing bonuses, such as 1 million rubles ($11,200) in Krasnodar Krai and 500,000 rubles ($5,600) in Dagestan, the Moscow signing bonus appears to be the highest reported so far.

Russia conscripted around 300,000 reservists during a limited mobilization in September 2022 but has sought to avoid a wide-sweeping draft, often targeting recruits from economically weaker regions or migrants.

Ukraine believes that Russia continues to covertly recruit around 30,000 soldiers monthly, allowing the Russian military to balance out its losses.

While Moscow does not publish its casualty figures, Kyiv believes that Russian losses have exceeded 570,000 soldiers killed or wounded as of late July.

According to leaked U.S. intelligence documents reported on by The Economist, Russia's casualty rates can be as many as 728,000 Russian soldiers killed, injured, or captured.

As Russian losses in Ukraine hit 500,000, Putin buries future demographic risks at home

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, over half a million Russian soldiers were either killed or wounded in Ukraine during the 27-month-long full-scale war. The staggering number is in line with the estimates of the U.K. and France, which said earlier in May that the overall Russian losses are set

The Kyiv IndependentChris York