Russia’s ‘enticing’ up to 8 times average salary to recruits for Ukraine: Report

Online advertisements in Russia sought troops to fight for Vladimir Putin’s forces in Ukraine while offering salaries several times Russia’s national average, a Kyiv-based NGO claimed.

Data analyzed by the Foundation of Ukrainian War Victims showed how huge amounts of money are being offered to new recruits and there is no shortage of willing joiners, as per Newsweek.

This comes as Russia faces huge troop losses even after Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization in September. The Kremlin earlier said that the drive to enlist 300,000 had been completed. Yuriy Mukhin, a board member of the NGO said that over the last few months there has been a push by Moscow to boost troop numbers.

“They are trying to use any possible means to recruit people and they are activating their efforts,” he claimed. The average salary in Russia varies depending on the region but in February it was around 63,000 roubles ($827) nationally, the report said.

“After the full-scale invasion, a salary of 300,000 roubles ($3,941) is the average for vacancies related directly with the war,” Yuriy Mukhin said. The ads offered up to 450,000 roubles ($5,900) as a one-time payment in addition to a monthly salary of 400,000 roubles ($5,100).

Yuriy Mukhin said that his NGO’s research offers a snapshot of how the Russian state is trying to attract recruits. The NGO tracked 5,874 unique vacancies posted on the job website HeadHunter.ru by Russian state accounts of military units recruiting troops. It found that on August 26 there were around 2,400 vacancies.