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The journalists found out what their relatives spend money on from the burial payments of the fallen Russian soldiers. These funds are often enough to buy real estate or a luxury car.
The Kremlin showers its conscripts with money, journalists say. This is how the government of the Russian Federation wants to solve the problem with the lack of people in the army, which arose, in particular, due to a lack of motivation, informs UAINFO.org with reference to The New York Times.
The largest type of payment is "grave money". They are paid to the families of the dead occupiers and amount to almost 150 dollars each. The publication emphasized that this is enough to buy an apartment in many Russian cities.
Some recipients of payments told journalists that they also buy other things with this money. Among them are new teeth, breast implants and trips to resort countries.
Ivan Grek, director of the Russian program at George Washington University, told reporters that military payments are becoming the main incentive for impoverished middle-aged men to join the ranks of the Russian army. According to him, they see these funds as a chance to avoid lifelong debts.
Artem, a Russian soldier who escaped from the Russian Federation, believes that 60% of the soldiers in his unit enlisted in the army because of unpaid loans. He emphasized that almost all of them had problems with alcohol and debts.
A report by the Bank of Finland's Institute of Emerging Economies states that "grave money" is changing the face of countless Russian hinterlands. Experts have noticed that over the past year, the number of bank accounts in poor areas of Russia has increased dramatically.
The average monthly salary of a front-line soldier is 210 rubles (about $000), which is a small fortune for residents of poor cities and villages in the Russian Federation, the publication emphasized. According to analysts, the bonus for signing a contract with the Russian army can be compared with the average annual income per capita in the country.
"This money is a social lift for those who went to war," a resident of Buryatia named Ayan shared with journalists.
In recent months, recruitment posters across Russia have begun to focus more on financial offers rather than patriotism, journalists note. These banners often show the large sums offered for signing a military contract.
Oleg Zhuravlev, one of the founders of the PS Lab group, which studies people's attitudes towards war, said:
"People who wanted to join the army out of patriotic feelings have mostly already been recruited, killed or wounded. There are few such people left in Russia."
Some experts doubt that payments to Russian servicemen are sustainable, the publication noted. According to analysts, at least 7,5% of federal spending is spent annually on salaries, as well as payments for military injuries or deaths.
