A record $40,000 enlistment bonus is drawing potential Russian army recruits to the country’s Samara region where the bounty is being offered. There’s only one drawback: The recipient will likely find himself in the front ranks of assault forces in Ukraine before the ink on the contract is dry.

Army recruiters in Samara, 600 miles east of Moscow, told reporters from the independent Russian online publication Vertska that the turnout of those willing to sign on the dotted line for $40,000 has been strong.

“There were no such conditions in Moscow,” a recruiter said. “Now everyone has gone from Moscow to Samara. All the hostels are occupied.”

One of the new soldiers who signed the enlistment contract last month said he and his unit were thrown into a fierce fight immediately after they arrived at the front lines in occupied Ukraine.

“This is easy money, (but) of course they will send us to be slaughtered,” he told Verstka Media. “No one in our country throws money around for no reason.”

Another recruited soldier from Samara told Verstka that some troops receive as little as two days of training before going into combat.

“My guys left recently [to the front lines], but only two out of 50 made it back,” he said.

Verstka said the composition of Russian army recruits from Samara has begun to change, with local volunteers being outpaced by foreigners and criminal defendants.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.