Russia raises foreign soldier recruitment reward to 1.5 million roubles amid Ukraine war

New Delhi: After more than four years the Russia-Ukraine war, the battle for manpower is increasingly extending beyond Russia’s own population. In Siberia, authorities have introduced a record financial reward for people who help bring foreign nationals into the Russian military, offering up to 1.5 million roubles for each successful recruit.

The payment was approved by Irkutsk governor, Igor Kobzev, in a decree signed on September 10, according to independent Russian outlet Vyorstka. The publication said the incentive is the highest reported payment of its kind by a Russian regional government.

The new scheme puts foreign citizens and stateless people in a separate category for the first time. A person who helps a foreign national sign a contract with Russia’s defence ministry can receive 1.5 million roubles, while the reward for recruiting a Russian citizen registered outside Irkutsk Oblast has been raised to 800,000 roubles.

The difference marks a major increase from the system introduced earlier this year. Vyorstka reported that Irkutsk had been paying up to 400,000 roubles for recruiting people registered outside the region since at least April, meaning the maximum incentive for bringing in a foreign national has risen almost fourfold.

Irkutsk is not the only Russian region increasing the money attached to military recruitment. Smolensk Oblast has raised its payment for helping recruit a contract soldier from 115,000 to 1 million roubles, while Ryazan Oblast has increased some payments for foreign nationals from outside the Commonwealth of Independent States and Russians registered elsewhere in the country to 805,000 roubles.

The increases point to the growing importance of regional recruitment networks as Russia continues to sustain military operations in Ukraine. During this time foreign recruitment became more active from early 2025, when the number of Russian volunteers available for the war fell significantly.

The recruitment of foreign nationals has attracted increasing international scrutiny, particularly over the methods used to bring people into military service. Amnesty International said in a report published that foreign nationals have in some cases been approached with promises of civilian employment, high salaries, residency rights or Russian citizenship.

The rights group also documented allegations involving contracts that recruits did not understand, confiscation of passports, limited military training and restrictions on movement. Amnesty said some people were threatened when they tried to leave and concluded that Russia’s recruitment practices in many cases amounted to human trafficking.

Ukraine’s coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war said in April that it had identified at least 28,391 foreign nationals from 136 countries fighting for Russia. The figure did not include regular North Korean troops. Amnesty cited the figure while noting that it had not been independently verified.

Pressure on Russia’s military and economy

The manpower push is taking place alongside Ukraine’s expanding war against Russian infrastructure. Kyiv has increasingly targeted oil refineries and other energy facilities inside Russia in an effort to reduce fuel production and put pressure on the resources supporting Moscow’s war effort.

The Kyiv Independent reported that Russia’s Irkutsk Oblast had raised the payment for recruiting foreign nationals to 1.5 million roubles, or roughly $17,800 per recruit. The report came as the United States president, Donald Trump, urged Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to stop striking Russian refineries producing diesel.

Speaking to reporters in Ireland, Trump said Ukraine could target other Russian facilities but should avoid sites involved in diesel production. He linked the recent rise in diesel prices to the Russia-Ukraine war and argued that continued attacks on fuel infrastructure could worsen the global shortage.