In Russia, there is a surge of people eager to join the frontlines, as payments have increased to 4 million rubles.

In Russia, recruits who have signed contracts and agreed to go to war against Ukraine are being sent to assault units after minimal training.

This is reported by the publication “Verstka” citing recruiters and military personnel.

According to one recruiter, currently “the entire Russia has rushed” to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense in the Samara region, where the authorities promised a one-time payment of 4 million rubles for being sent to the front.

“In Moscow, there were not such conditions; it was half as much. Now everyone from Moscow has gone to Samara. All the dormitories are occupied,” said the source of the publication.

One of the contract soldiers who arrived in Samara from Perm shared that “two hours before departure, when they said that we were f****d, and we were going to be slaughtered in the assault group,” he signed a contract refusal.

“These four million are easy money. Of course, they will be sent to slaughter. No one in our country just throws money around,” he believes.

According to another contract soldier, the training duration for those going to war from Samara is only two days. The wife of another serviceman reported that her husband's training lasted two weeks before being assigned to the assault company.

“It is important to understand that most of the personnel perform assault functions,” noted another recruiter.

Although they are informed about being sent “to the assault” in various directions, according to him, there are many willing to sign contracts in Samara. The authorities of the Samara region have introduced an increased payment of 4 million rubles for those who sign contracts from January 1 to February 1 of the current year.

Over the course of nine months, an additional monthly payment of 50,000 rubles is also guaranteed. In total, during the first year of service, one could earn 7 million rubles, as stated by the regional government.

Earlier, “Verstka” reported that in Moscow at the beginning of the year, the number of those willing to sign contracts fell fivefold compared to August, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine invaded the Kursk region. In January, about 40 contracts were signed per day, compared to 200 five months earlier.

The desire of the Russian authorities to recruit as many contract soldiers as possible into the army is explained by significant losses in Ukraine. According to British intelligence, by September 2024, the losses of the Russian army in Ukraine reached 610,000, exceeding the losses in all of Russia's wars since World War II. Of these, 200,000 are dead, and another 400,000 were wounded, as previously reported by The New York Times.