Sergey Novikov, head of the Presidential Directorate for Social Projects, stated that 167,000 war participants had "returned to civilian life," adding that "several times more will return" should victory arrive tomorrow. In June, Novikov estimated the number of returnees at 137,000. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin stated last week that 700,000 people were currently in the "special military operation zone."
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, authorities in Russia's Mari El Republic will begin paying 2.1 million rubles [$26,100] for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense. The republic was one of seven regions in the Volga Federal District that had lowered the sign-up bonus in October to the minimum allowable sum of 400,000 rubles [$4,970]. In Bashkortostan, authorities similarly decreased the payment to 500,000 rubles [$6,210] in early December. Before October, authorities in Mari El paid 2.6 million rubles [$32,300], while federal authorities provided an additional 400,000 rubles [$4,970] upon enlisting.
Defense Minister Andrey Belousov announced that the military recruited nearly 410,000 people for contract military service in 2025. Infographics shown during the expanded board meeting of the Ministry of Defense set the annual plan at 403,000 and the "benchmark" at 420,000. This aligns with recruitment figures Dmitry Medvedev [Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council] previously reported. However, the Vazhnyye Istorii [IStories, independent Russian investigative media outlet] analyzed federal budget expenditures and found that only 262,700 people—fewer than 30,000 per month—received a sign-up bonus for enlisting during the first three quarters of 2025. Economist Janis Kluge estimated that approximately 290,000 people, or about...
Vladimir Putin signed legislation extending the requirement for Russian men of conscription age to notify draft offices of any move exceeding three months, regardless of the time of year. The law removes the phrase "during the conscription period" from Article 21.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which governs "failure by citizens to perform military registration duties." The relevant penalty—a fine of 10,000 to 20,000 rubles [$125-$250]—previously applied only during the regular spring and autumn conscription campaigns. That limitation, however, will cease to exist next year following the enactment of legislation establishing year-round conscription activities.
Nastoyashcheye Vremya [Current Time, an editorially independent US-funded Russian language media outlet] reports that legislative changes now require male foreigners applying for residence permits or citizenship to submit a service contract with the Russian army or the Ministry of Emergency Situations, or a certificate of unfitness from a draft office. This applies to individuals applying for family reunification, those who have already resided in Russia for a long time, and applicants on certain other grounds. Students, highly qualified specialists, participants in the compatriot resettlement program, and citizens of Belarus remain exempt. Nationals of Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Moldova are also exempt, but only for residence permits...
Janis Kluge, a German economist who analyzes data from the Russian Ministry of Finance, calculated that military expenditures in the federal budget reached 11.9 trillion rubles [$153 billion] between January and September 2025, marking a 30 percent increase from the same period in 2024. Spending surged 95 percent from 2023, 173 percent from 2022, and 295 percent—nearly a fourfold rise—from prewar levels of 2021. While the planned 2025 budget allocated 13.2 trillion rubles [$171 billion] for military purposes, the government had exhausted 90 percent of these funds by September. The 2026 budget earmarks 12.9 trillion rubles [$167 billion], or nearly 30 percent of total spending, for "national defense." Kluge estimates that since the start...
Putin has signed a decree calling up reservists to undergo military training in 2026. The document comes into effect on the day of its publication. The organization of the training is the responsibility of the Russian government and regional authorities. Based on the decree, the Ministry of Defense prepares a directive and sends it to regional draft offices, which then issue draft notices to reservists. Under Russian law, such training cannot exceed two consecutive months. Putin signs a similar document every year, and traditionally some provisions are classified under the designation "for official use." In particular, the number of reservists to be called up for training has not been disclosed. Additionally, as suggested by the...
In Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan, authorities have lowered bonuses for signing contracts with the Ministry of Defense from 1 million to 500,000 rubles [$13,000 to $6,500], even though Governor Radiy Khabirov had extended the higher rate—originally set in June—through the end of the year just one week ago. While officials published the new decree on Dec. 4, it applies retroactively to all contracts signed since Dec. 1, preserving the previous amount only for those who signed by Nov. 30. The order also slashes Ufa's additional municipal bonus for contract soldiers from 600,000 to 100,000 rubles [$7,800 to $1,300], meaning that with the federal component of 400,000 rubles [$5,200], a new recruit will now receive 900,000 rubles...
The State Duma [lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly] approved a bill in second and third readings in a single session that would grant war participants the right to obtain a second vocational education tuition-free in a new field. Lawmakers are also considering another bill to provide a similar benefit to surviving spouses of service members. Meanwhile, universities and trade schools already allocate 10 percent of all state-funded places to participants in the war against Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Labor announced that the recent legislative changes extending a social program to former participants in the war against Ukraine will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Unemployed veterans and those seeking work will be able to sign a one-time social contract to launch a business and receive a grant of up to 350,000 rubles [$4,500] and up to 30,000 rubles [$390] for a three-month training course. Unlike other applicants, these former service members will not need to show that their income falls below the subsistence minimum. Instead, they will need to hold war participant status, be discharged from service, register with the employment agency, and secure a recommendation from the Defenders of the Fatherland Fund.