Russian Regions Sharply Increase Military Recruitment Bonuses

Regional authorities in Russia's Irkutsk Oblast have drastically increased bonuses for recruiters who succeed in securing contracts with the ministry of defense to fight in the war in Ukraine. According to a new decree by Governor Igor Kobzev, recruiters will receive a bonus of 1.5 million rubles ($17,800) for recruiting a foreigner or a stateless person, the website Verstka reports.

This is the highest recruitment bonus of its kind in the Russian Federation, and the amount paid for recruiting foreigners has nearly quadrupled over the past seven months. Russian citizens from other regions are eligible for a bonus of 800,000 rubles ($9,500), double the previous rate.

The increase in financial incentives for recruiters confirms a broader trend across Russian regions. Similar record-breaking bonuses have been introduced in, for example, the Smolensk and Ryazan regions.

Russian authorities began intensively recruiting foreigners after interest from Russian volunteers themselves dropped significantly in early 2025.

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