Wages for soldiers significantly higher
London: Russian military service increasingly lucrative
08/29/2023, 10:00 a.m
Russia suffers great losses in Ukraine. According to British information, Moscow is therefore trying to make military service more attractive through higher wages. However, it is unlikely that the Kremlin will achieve its recruitment goals, they say.
Since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine, pay in the Russian army has increased significantly, according to British sources. “Military service in the Russian armed forces has become increasingly lucrative since the invasion,” the British Ministry of Defense said. Wages and bonuses are strong motives for joining the military, “especially for those from the poorer areas of Russia.”
At the same time, the authority emphasized: “However, it is still unlikely that Russia will achieve its goals in recruiting volunteers for the armed forces.” The British ministry referred to statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who on February 4, 2022 – just under three weeks before the start of the war – gave a lieutenant’s salary at 81,200 rubles a month.
In the meantime, however, even privates who had already been mobilized received 195,000 rubles (currently 1,887 euros) according to official figures. And many NCOs fighting in Ukraine earn more than 200,000 rubles a month. “This is more than 2.7 times the Russian average wage of 72,851 rubles,” it said in London. Applied to the UK, that means an annual salary of more than £90,000 (€105,000).