Rashid Temrezov. Photo: Telegram
New military recruits from Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Karachay-Cherkessia are to receive total up-front payments of up to 2 million rubles (€20,300) when they sign a contract with the Defence Ministry to fight in Ukraine, the republic’s head Rashid Temrezov has announced.
Temrezov said the regional authorities would pay up to 1.6 million rubles (€16,200), while 400,000 rubles (€4,100) would come from the federal authorities, following Vladimir Putin’s decision to double the payment in late July.
Previously, anyone signing up to fight from Karachay-Cherkessia had received 1.3 million rubles (€15,200) from the republic’s budget. That payment was only introduced in June, however, prior to which new recruits were paid just 100,000 rubles (€1,015) from local coffers.
The new figure now places Karachay-Cherkessia second in Russia in terms of payments, with only recruits from the city of Moscow receiving more, at 1.9 million rubles (€19,300). The Stavropol and Moscow regions both offer new recruits 1.5 million rubles (€13,150), independent news channel 7x7 Horizontal Russia reported earlier this month. Next is the Leningrad region, which paid 1.3 million rubles.
The lowest payments were in Siberia and regions bordering Ukraine, which often didn’t reach 400,000 rubles, even after Putin’s decree recommending local authorities raise payments.
When Russia announced partial mobilisation on 21 September 2022, the lump sum signing payment was set at 195,000 rubles (€2,100).
