Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU) claims that Russia has terminated signing bonuses for prisoners who join military operations against Ukraine, effective 1 January 2025. SZRU’s reported on 2 January that Russia has recruited between 140,000 and 180,000 individuals serving sentences in Russian prisons for participation in the Russian-Ukrainian war as of November 2024.
SZRU says Russian penal colonies and prisons held approximately 300,000-350,000 inmates in 2024, half the number compared to 2014. The agency attributes this decrease to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
According to SZRU’s report, the Russian government’s decision to cancel one-time payments for inmates signing military contracts reflects deepening economic crisis and financial resource shortages.
SZRU states that previously, imprisoned recruits received a one-time payment of $1,718 upon signing a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. In July 2024, this amount increased to $3,524. However, these recruits and their families were denied various payments and benefits available to other volunteer formations, while receiving wages two to four times lower than other occupying forces.
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