Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine aren’t getting paid what they were promised, and in some cases, they’re not even being paid at all according to reports from the wives and families of many contracted and mobilized servicemen in Russia’s invasion force. 

Verstka is an independent Russian news organization and it dug into the chats of thousands of citizens across 52 regions on the social media network VKontakte, the Russian version of Facebook, and discovered that Russia’s pay problems have gotten bad. 

It isn’t just pay problems plaguing Russian soldiers either, Verstka added that some mobilized servicemen haven’t been receiving their promised allowances—extra pay for fighting in Ukraine—nor their social benefits. But what’s causing all of these issues?

Valentina Melnikova is the head of the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers of Russia and she told Verstka that she believed the delay in payments was due to the collapse of the army’s bureaucracy in the face of so many soldiers fighting in Ukraine. 

Some Russians at the front say Putin isn’t paying them

According to The Moscow Times, the starting salary of a Russian soldier is set at 195,000 rubles per month—or $2,434 U.S. dollars as of April 5th—a number the news organization said was 14 times higher than the median salary in most regions of Russia.

Putin is running out of money.

Isn't Putin still clearing the prisons out and sending them to the front line? I hear from a Russian i know that people who don't want to fight are filling the prisons

I think prison recruiting has dried up. But they do pressure people under new charges to opt for the meat grinder instead.

14 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I think prison recruiting has dried up. But they do pressure people under new charges to opt for the meat grinder instead.

Since 2024, debt forgiveness is part of the package offered to Contractors. Domestic debt in Russia has surged, and accounts for 95% of all Russian debt.

4 minutes ago, Roadsternut said:

Since 2024, debt forgiveness is part of the package offered to Contractors. Domestic debt in Russia has surged, and accounts for 95% of all Russian debt.

Yes.

But Putin is running out of money.

Ukraine has a new strategy.

Instead of about 30K Russian body bags a month, they're going for 50 to 60 with of course an even bigger ratio vs. Ukrainian losses.

It's horrible. It's war. But again this is a war of choice by Putin who could end it tomorrow, but he won't because he's set things up that would mean the end of him.

This is now new.

21 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Isn't Putin still clearing the prisons out and sending them to the front line? I hear from a Russian i know that people who don't want to fight are filling the prisons

ONE Russian is really a reliable source😄

5 hours ago, D Peter said:

ONE Russian is really a reliable source😄

I heard it on talkradio as well a while back so must be true