Putin lures his recruits with fame and a lot of money

Mobilizations and forced recruitment are problematic means of replenishing the armed forces. Hundreds of thousands have fled Ukraine to avoid military service. The videos of brutal human catchers undermine morale. Russia had very similar experiences with the partial mobilization in September 2022 and has since avoided forms of forced recruitment.

Constant appeals to patriotism and invocations of the great patriotic war alone did not bring the desired results. But now there is a sophisticated system of financial donations. And this mix of fame and money fills the ranks of the army.

The well-known YouTube channel “History Legends” has analyzed this system in detail. The motto is: “Serve your country and get rich doing it.” The financial system consists of several components. A monthly salary, a one-time entry bonus, special benefits and a bonus system for combat missions.

The monthly salary is at least 200,000 rubles, which is a little less than 2000 euros. However, the purchasing power is different. With a monthly salary of 100,000 rubles you are one of the higher earners in Moscow, but in the provinces you are rich. In the provinces, 300 euros is a normal salary; the army offers more than six times as much. No wonder this system attracts recruits from poorer regions.

For them, the war is the chance to lift the entire family out of poverty and into the middle class. Typical that the “black sheep” report to a family. Men who only got unstable jobs, who have problems with the police. If they come forward, they will become a hero and someone who provides for their family.

Family plays a central role in recruitment. There are numerous discounts for them. Faster allocation of housing, rent discounts of 50 percent, free education for children, summer camps, reduced electricity costs, medical treatment for family members in army facilities. Supplements if the partner is pregnant and the allocation of land. Large sums are paid out in the event of injury or death.

According to the channel, the one-time payment is 400,000 rubles from the central state budget. There is also an additional sum from the respective region. And those payments are rising rapidly as governors face quotas. Even the poorest regions give another 400,000 rubles. In wealthy regions there are 600,000. And that’s not the end yet. Rostov pays 1.2 million, St. Petersburg 1.7 million, Moscow gives 1.9 million and increases the monthly salary by another 50,000 rubles. A recruit from the capital earns up to 5.2 million rubles in the first year of his service – more than 46,000 euros.

It is typical that the “are sufficient” Recruits give part of their salary into a pot that is used to buy equipment such as drones or additional food. Some regions provide their recruits with high-quality equipment. In general, part of the one-off payment should be invested in military equipment.

For operations at the front there are not only medals – there are cash. Each day of fighting is paid 8,000 rubles, assault groups receive 50,000 rubles per kilometer of advance. The unit that destroys an armored vehicle receives 50,000 rubles, 100,000 rubles for a tank – significantly more for tanks from NATO countries.

The army was able to recruit over 400,000 men with this program in 2024. Over 30,000 men sign up every month. This leads to the number of troops in Ukraine increasing. The invasion was launched with 180,000 men; the Ukrainians were clearly numerically superior at the time. At the beginning of 2023, the Russians had around 300,000 men in the country, and at the beginning of 2024 there were already 400,000. And at the end of 2024 there will be an increase of 690,000 – 300,000 men in just one year – according to the Ukrainian high command.

These large numbers give the Russians the upper hand in a war of attrition. There is no end to the growth in sight. Russian troop numbers will continue to increase even if recruitment numbers decline in 2025. All contracts are automatically extended as long as the war continues. Only the dead and wounded leave the army. It is therefore likely that Russian forces in Ukraine will reach a strength of between 900,000 and one million troops in 2025.