Vladimir Putin has signed a law granting debt forgiveness to new recruits who enlist in the Russian military to fight in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
According to Russia’s state news agency Interfax, the new legislation allows recruits who sign a one-year contract to have their outstanding debts, up to 10 million rubles (approximately $96,000 or £77,000), forgiven. The law applies to debts that have been subject to a court order for collection and where enforcement procedures have begun before December 1, 2024. It also applies to the spouses of the recruits.
Russia has ramped up military recruitment by offering increasing financial incentives, in some cases several times the average salary, to those willing to fight in Ukraine.
This strategy has allowed the military to bolster its ranks without resorting to another round of mobilization. A “partial mobilization” in September 2022 led to an exodus of tens of thousands of Russian men who fled the country to avoid conscription.
