Russia Pays Fortunes for New Soldiers as Recruitment Numbers Fall

As the number of Russians willing to fight in Ukraine dwindles, the Kremlin is resorting to increasingly lucrative financial incentives for recruiters. Payments for each new soldier signing a contract have surged, reaching as high as 1 million rubles (approximately $11,000 USD) per recruit.

According to "The Moscow Times," by August 2026, 56 Russian regions were offering bonuses to individuals who brought volunteers to recruitment centers. This marks a significant increase from the previous year, when only 31 regions provided such incentives. The Smolensk region, for example, has seen recruitment bonuses increase tenfold, from about 115,000 rubles to 1 million rubles.

This "recruitment race" is occurring against a backdrop of declining volunteer numbers. Janis Kluge, a German economist, noted that the recruitment of contract soldiers for the war in Ukraine has fallen to its lowest level in three years. Official figures suggest that around 200,000 new contract soldiers were recruited in the first half of the year, a 5% decrease from the previous year. However, given the prevalence of data falsification in Russia, the actual number of willing participants may be considerably lower.

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If recruitment fails, mobilization will be carried out. Therefore, regions have been instructed to conduct aggressive recruitment, while the state turns a blind eye to violations of the law during forced recruitment.

Reports from social media and human rights organizations suggest that some regional authorities are resorting to coercive measures to meet recruitment targets set by the Kremlin. Sergei Krivenko, director of the human rights organization "Citizen. Army. Law," reported "raids" in the Penza region in July where men were allegedly forced to sign war contracts. Similar incidents have been noted in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories, as well as in the Rostov, Amur, and Novosibirsk regions.

Krivenko believes that regions are under pressure to conduct aggressive recruitment because failure to meet targets could lead to a general mobilization. He suggests that the state is overlooking illegal recruitment practices. "If recruitment fails, mobilization will be carried out. Therefore, regions have been instructed to conduct aggressive recruitment, while the state turns a blind eye to violations of the law during forced recruitment," he stated. He also indicated that regional governors are pressuring businesses to contribute funds for recruitment, suggesting these expenditures are not federally funded and are being hidden under other budget categories.

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The Smolensk region has also increased payments for contract soldiers themselves – from 1.6 million to 2.1 million rubles.