Russian Defence Ministry plans to recruit at least 255,000 contract soldiers by 2027

In the draft federal budget for the 2025-2027 fiscal year, Russia has allocated RUB 90 billion (about US$944.8 million) for one-time payments for recruits concluding a contract with the Ministry of Defence, allowing for the recruitment of up to 225,000 new contract soldiers.

Source: Vazhnie Istorii (Important Stories) news agency, founded by well-known Russian investigative journalists

Details: According to the article, the current amount for such payments is RUB 400,000 (about US$4,199), which was decided upon by Vladimir Putin's order on 31 July 2024. In three years, 225,000 new contract soldiers can be hired with the promised 90 billion roubles if the one-time payment remains unchanged.

The publication highlights the possibility of an increase in the budgeted amount. Thus, the Russian government has already paid new contractors one-time sums of more than RUB 32 billion  (about US$335.9 million) in the first half of 2024. This exceeds the total amount allocated for the upcoming year.

The Russian Federation's Ministry of Defence may have exaggerated the number of new contractors by 1.5 times, according to the calculations made by Vazhnie Istorii. By April 2024, 640,000 people had signed contracts, but only 426,000 had received one-time payments, according to the ministry.

Quote: "The number of new contracts signed by Russians increased by at least six times in 2024, if one was to compare the first half of 2023, when 26,700 contracts were signed, and the first half of 2024, when over 166,000 contracts were signed. The pace of recruitment of contract soldiers quickened considerably in the second half of 2023; over the course of the year, at least 345,000 people have signed contracts."

Background:

• On 1 October, the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, passed a bill enabling not only those already convicted or under investigation, but also more than 20,000 defendants (people whose trials are in progress), to be sent to fight against Ukraine.
• The Wall Street Journal reports that the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defence continues to put pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to announce a new wave of mobilisation to bring in additional troops and compensate for the Kremlin's losses on the battlefield in Ukraine.
• The Wall Street Journal data also shows that the total number of Ukrainian and Russian military personnel who were killed or injured since the start of the full-scale Russian aggression has reached approximately 1 million.

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