Facing a $61B deficit, Moscow cuts enlistment bonuses in multiple regions by up to threefold, while others raise payouts — a “caste system” valuing lives by region.
Russia, which is waging a protracted war against Ukraine, is now cutting costs even on its main mobilization resource — “cannon fodder.” Against the backdrop of a record federal budget deficit and a deepening financial crisis in the regions, a number of Russian Federation entities have sharply reduced one-time payments for those signing military contracts.
According to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR), bonus reductions are being recorded in several regions: in Bashkiria – from 1.6 million rubles (about $18,000) to 1 million ($11,000), in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug — from 3.1 million ($35,000) to 1.9 million ($21,000), in Belgorod region – from 3 million ($34,000) to 800,000 ($9,000), and in Nizhny Novgorod region – from 3 million ($34,000) to 1.5 million rubles ($17,000).