Orenburg Joins Ranks of Russian Regions Cutting Military Recruitment Bonuses Amid Budget Strains

In Russia’s Orenburg region, the one-time enlistment bonuses for men entering military contracts have been slashed to the legal minimum, marking the fifth region this month to reduce financial incentives for voluntary soldiers engaged in the conflict in Ukraine.

As of Tuesday, the local administration has decreased the bonus from 2 million rubles (approximately $25,000) to 400,000 rubles (about $5,000), following a decree released a day earlier.

This change reverses an increase from January 2025, which had raised the bonus from 1 million rubles to 2 million rubles, a hike that officials had previously stated would be maintained until the end of the year.

The new payout aligns with the minimum amount recommended by President Vladimir Putin for regional governments to offer new recruits last year. The central government usually matches this payment.

Orenburg has joined the ranks of the Samara region and the republics of Tatarstan, Chuvashia, and Mari El in quietly lowering enlistment bonuses to the 400,000-ruble minimum this October.

Regions such as Belgorod, Samara, the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district, and Bashkortostan had already reduced military contract payments earlier in the year.

While local authorities had actively promoted the increased payments through various media initiatives, the recent cuts have largely gone unnoticed until the official decrees were published on government websites.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, regional administrations have been offering substantial enlistment bonuses to entice volunteers in light of escalating battlefield casualties. However, many regions have started to retract these benefits as their fiscal situations have become more strained.