Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav gladkov announced on October 7 that residents of the region would receive a record-breaking 3 million rubles ($31,200) as a signing bonus.
The additional payments are part of efforts by Russian officials in order to encourage more citizens to join military service as the country seeks a way to replenish its military which has been decimated due to high losses in Ukraine.
Gladkov said that the payment would amount to 3,000,000 rubles, from all sources, including the federal, regional and municipal budgets, as well as extra-budgetary funding.
Other regional authorities have also implemented signing bonuses. For example, the Khanty-Mansi district had a record-high signing bonus of 2.75 millions rubles (28,600 dollars) and the 1.9 million rupees ($21,200 dollars) for residents of Moscow. However, the bonus that will be paid in Belgorod oblast is the largest reported in the country.
Gladkov said that the signing bonus would be available to those who join the Russian Armed Forces from Oct. 7 until 2024.
Rosstat, the federal statistics service of Russia, reported in June 2023 the average monthly wage for the entire country was approximately 65,000 rubles ($735).
While the payment of Russian troops varies greatly across the country, a Moscow resident, including their signing bonus, could earn 433,000 Rubles ($4,800) a month in their first year in the army. The average salary of recruits from Belgorod oblast was not publicly available.
Russia conscripted about 300,000 reservists in a limited mobilization that took place in September 2022, but has avoided a large-scale draft by targeting recruits who come from economically poorer regions or migrants.
Instead of ordering another wave of conscription the Russian President Vladimir Putin increased the sign-on bonuses for new military recruits who will serve in Ukraine. The bonus was raised to 400,000 Rubles (over 4,600 dollars), effectively doubling a lump-sum payment originally promised to recruits of 195,000 rubles ($2,260).
Ukraine believes that Russia continues covertly recruiting around 30,000 soldiers per month, allowing its military to balance its losses.
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