Authorities in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region have raised one-time payments for new military recruits for the third time in two months, as efforts to bolster recruitment intensify across the country.
New recruits from the Ural Mountains region, which has a population of 4.2 million, will now receive 1.5 million rubles ($16,100) as a sign-up bonus, the regional government announced Monday. Combined with President Vladimir Putin’s national sign-on bonus and municipal payments, new recruits could earn up to 2 million rubles ($21,500) up front.
This marks the third payment increase in the Sverdlovsk region since August, according to the news outlet 7×7, which reported that the region has lagged behind others in recruitment numbers.
At least 45 Russian regions have raised one-time payments for signing military contracts in 2024, offering additional perks like free childcare and travel for soldiers’ families. Experts say the rising payments reflect Russia’s struggle to maintain manpower as public support for the war, now in its third year, wanes.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Putin allegedly rejected calls from the Russian Defense Ministry for a broader mobilization, preferring to rely on volunteer recruitment instead.
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