The Russian military has seen a significant increase in recruitment, with approximately 166,000 people signing up for the armed forces in the first half of 2024, a sixfold increase from the previous year when only 26,700 new troops were recruited during the same period. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev anticipates the number to rise to 190,000 by July 2024. This surge comes as reports suggest that Moscow has lost over 350,000 troops since the start of the invasion in February 2022.
The spike in Russian military recruitment is attributed to the lucrative offers provided to potential soldiers. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin issued a decree in July offering a 2 million rubles ($22,000) sign-on bonus to city residents who join the military for at least a year, in addition to promising a monthly income of up to 700,000 rubles ($8,961). Soldiers and their families are also assured compensation of up to 3 million Russian rubles ($34,000) in case of death or injury. Overall, reports suggest that Moscow has spent 3 trillion rubles ($32.9 billion) in payments to soldiers involved in the war since June 2023.
