Putin doubles army sign-on bonus, offering new recruits $4,600 to fight in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a signing bonus of 400,000 rubles ($4,600) for new army recruits who sign military contracts for at least one year between August 1 and the end of 2024.

The new sign-on bonus is more than double the lump-sum payment of 195,000 rubles ($2,200) the federal government has offered new recruits to fight in Ukraine since September 2022.

The presidential decree published on Wednesday also “recommends” that senior regional officials pay an additional 400,000 rubles to residents who enlist. The enlistment bonuses offered by Russia’s regional governments vary but have recently been on the rise. In June, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin increased the sign-on bonus for new military recruits from the capital to 1.9 million rubles ($22,000)