Moscow Offers Record $22,000 for Russians to Fight in Ukraine
- Mayor pledges 1.9 million-ruble bonus for new recruits in war
- Russian regions boost pay incentives as army casualties mount
The military’s search for manpower is intensifying a labor shortage in Russia’s economy that’s forcing businesses to hike salaries to compete.
Photographer: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Authorities in Moscow offered to pay a huge new bonus to recruits willing to join Russia’s war in Ukraine, the latest sign of mounting pressure to find enough replacements for troops killed and wounded on the battlefield.
A decree issued Tuesday by Mayor Sergei Sobyanin pledged to pay 1.9 million rubles ($22,000) to volunteers who sign military contracts. That’s in addition to 600,000 rubles paid annually in monthly instalments by the city government to supplement wages and bonuses offered by the Russian Defense Ministry.