‘If Recruitment Fails, There Will Be Mobilization’: Russian Regions Ramp Up Cash Bonuses for War Recruiters
- More than half of Russia’s regions are now paying cash bonuses to people who recruit contract soldiers for the war against Ukraine, with some offering up to 1 million rubles ($22,200) per recruit as volunteer enlistment continues to slow.
- By August 2026, 56 Russian regions had introduced recruitment rewards, up from 31 regions a year earlier, according to the analysis conducted by The Moscow Times.
- The sharpest increase came in the heavily subsidized Smolensk region, where recruiter bonuses jumped nearly tenfold.
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- More than half of Russia’s regions are now paying cash bonuses to people who recruit contract soldiers for the war against Ukraine, with some offering up to 1 million rubles ($22,200) per recruit as volunteer enlistment continues to slow.
- By August 2026, 56 Russian regions had introduced recruitment rewards, up from 31 regions a year earlier, according to the analysis conducted by The Moscow Times.
- The sharpest increase came in the heavily subsidized Smolensk region, where recruiter bonuses jumped nearly tenfold.
Sources: Kyivpost