Less Money for War

What has happened?

On November 13, the Russian government issued a decree establishing a new system of payments for Russian military personnel who have been wounded in the war on Ukraine. While previously any wounded soldier was to receive 3 million rubles (about 29,000 euros) regardless of the severity of the injury, now only those who are badly wounded will receive this amount. Those whose injuries will be recognized as “light” will receive only 1 million rubles. And soldiers whose injuries are not mentioned on the government’s list will be allocated only 100,000 rubles. It should be borne in mind that this list classifies injuries, such as bone fractures and gunshot wounds as “light”.

What is the context?

The new rules were adopted under the pretext of enhancing “social justice”. The military had complained that all wounded men were receiving the same pay. However, these complaints suggested an increase in the money paid for serious injury, not a reduction in the money received by the “lightly wounded”. It is clear that this ruling will have an extremely negative impact on the morale of the Russian troops now engaged in heavy bloodshed in Ukraine and in the Kursk region of Russia. The Kremlin should have realized this, but risked taking such a step.

What does it mean for Russia’s war of aggression?

This is the first serious signal of the exhaustion of resources for waging the aggressive war. Prior to this decision, the Russian authorities had demonstrated generosity towards the participants in the war. Contrary to Soviet tradition, they paid participants in combat operations a salary significantly higher than the average wage in the country. A fairly efficient “market” war economy developed around these payments. It allowed the Kremlin to recruit about 30,000 volunteers a month. But now the main player in this “economy” has shown that it can violate its previous commitments. It can be assumed that the authorities’ decision will significantly reduce the number of those who want to go to war voluntarily.

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