Military pensioners who have gone to the front will be allowed to receive an increased pension. This follows from a government decree signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
The initiative applies to retired military personnel, firefighters, employees of the Interior Ministry, the Federal Guard Service, the Federal Bailiff Service, the Federal Drug Control Service and the Federal Penitentiary Service, as well as prosecutors and investigators. If they went to war in Ukraine voluntarily or by mobilization, they will be offered an increased pension taking into account their new length of service.
By the end of the year, Russia plans to recruit 415,000 volunteers, 115,000 of whom will be sent to the front immediately, The Washington Post wrote, citing leaked CIA intelligence documents. The documents stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not plan to order further mobilization to make up for losses in Ukraine.
In the spring, the authorities launched a large-scale campaign of military propaganda. Hundreds of billboards advertising military service under contract were placed in Russian cities. According to Fontanka, in St. Petersburg alone it was planned to install 553 such billboards, 1,500 stickers will appear in the subway and on land public transport (buses, streetcars and trolleybuses), and 1,800 screens and 2,870 media panels were to be used to show campaign ads.
A special website, hotline and chat-bot in Telegram were launched for the residents of Moscow, where those wishing to do military service could write to. Muscovites who have signed a contract are promised payments from Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, as well as benefits for their families.
In June, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that under the contract in the army managed to recruit 114 thousand people. “On average, 1,336 people are enlisted per day, which is actually every day we get a regiment”, said the Minister.
