Russia Creates Separate Category For Foreign Recruits, Offers ₹16 Lakh Per Soldier For Ukraine War

Moscow: Russia’s Irkutsk region has significantly increased financial incentives for military recruitment, offering up to 1.5 million rubles (around Rs 16 lakh) for each foreign citizen or stateless person recruited to fight in the war against Ukraine.

The revised payment was introduced through a decree signed earlier this week by Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev. According to The Kyiv Independent, citing independent Russian outlet Vyorstka, the incentive is reportedly the highest offered by any Russian region for recruiting foreign nationals into the military.

Since at least April, Irkutsk has been offering financial incentives for the recruitment of contract soldiers, with the maximum payout then set at 400,000 rubles (around $4,700). The latest change has nearly quadrupled the maximum reward for recruiting a foreign national within seven months, Vyorstka reported.

Separate category for foreigners

For the first time, the new decree also creates a separate category specifically for foreign citizens and stateless persons. Meanwhile, the incentive for recruiting Russian citizens registered outside Irkutsk Oblast has been doubled from 400,000 rubles to 800,000 rubles (around $9,500).

Moscow pushes to expand recruitment

The move highlights Moscow’s continued push to expand its pool of military recruits as the Russia-Ukraine war enters its fifth year. With the conflict continuing to take a heavy toll in terms of casualties and infrastructure losses, Russia has increasingly relied on financial incentives and other recruitment measures to attract additional manpower.