Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ A study shows that there are large differences in pay and mortality rates for Russian soldiers from different parts of the country. Men from Moscow and St Petersburg are paid far more and have a lower chance of dying than those from poor regions like Chuvashia or Buryatia. ⬇️

2/ The independent Russian news outlet Govorit NeMoskva has reviewed military pay, benefits and mortality rates across Russia. It has found that St Petersburg – Vladimir Putin's home town – is by far the most generous, paying six times more than the lowest-paying regions.

3/ At the same time, soldiers from Moscow and St Petersburg have significantly lower mortality rates that those from Buryatia, Tuva and North Ossetia – all three of which are among Russia's poorest regions.

4/ As Govorit NeMoskva puts it, "In other words, the inhabitants of the two Russian capitals live well, get a lot for the war, but their chances of returning home in a zinc coffin are much lower than those of the inhabitants of the republics of Buryatia, Tyva and North Ossetia."

5/ There are three categories of soldiers to consider: contract (professional) soldiers, volunteers and mobilised. The invasion of Ukraine was carried out by contract soldiers but its initial failure and high casualties led to the recruitment of volunteers and mobilisation.

6/ Contract soldiers and the mobilised serve under similar terms – an indefinite contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence (MOD) – while volunteers are limited to a renewable one-year contract. The latter have the best opportunity to make good money and still get out alive.

7/ All three categories are entitled to receive a one-time payment of 195,000 rubles ($2,014) and a monthly salary of not less than 204,000 rubles ($2,210) from the MOD. Regional governments also pay fighters, but there are vast differences in pay between them.

8/ St Petersburg is by far the most generous, giving soldiers in all three categories a one-time payment of 500,000 rubles ($5,164). The poster at the top of this thread shows a figure of 695,000 rubles ($7,178) for the St Petersburg and MOD payments combined.

9/ In contrast, those from poor regions are paid only 50,000 rubles ($516). Moscow has its own special arrangement, paying 50,000 a month – so if a soldier survives for more than 10 months he gets a bigger regional payment than anyone else.

10/ Some regions don't pay anything to soldiers: North Ossetia , Mordovia, Yakutia , Sverdlovsk region, Khakassia , Dagestan and Ingushetia. Not surprisingly, these are the poorest regions and have the highest unemployment rates in the country.

11/ Adding up all the available payments, St. Petersburg, the Chukotka and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs, and the Transbaikal and Khabarovsk Territories come out on top. These regions have some of the highest average salaries in the Russia.

12/ Regions also provide fringe benefits to soldiers, but their generosity varies widely. Each region sets its own payment for injuries, ranging from 1m rubles ($10,328) in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug to 300,000 ($3,098) rubles in Kabardino-Balkaria.

13/ Other benefits are available, such as getting gas installed at home in Yamal-Nenets, being allocated areas near the sea in Crimea, getting free family tickets to cultural events in the Kirov region, or being able to use public transport without charge in St Petersburg.

14/ Companies also provide payments to workers to volunteer to fight in Ukraine. PJSC KAMAZ gives its soldier-employees 50,000 rubles ($516) a month and reserves their jobs, while RossetiLenenergo gives volunteers from its workforce a one-time payment of 500,000 rubles.

15/ The wide disparities between regions in compensating soldiers has caused some controversy in Russia and has been acknowledged by Putin himself. "I am aware of this problem", he said in a meeting with military commanders on 13 June 2023.

16/ "It somehow looks indecent when people who are standing next to each other, maybe covering each other in a trench or pulling the wounded from the battlefield, receive different payments from different regions".

17/ He says that he has "already spoken about it many times at various levels, but it is quite difficult to achieve alignment." The Russian government can't tell the regions directly how much to pay, but can recommend choosing “some kind of general standard and approach.”

18/ However, this has not yet been achieved, and the pay differences are continuing to be a cause of social tension and discontent, according to Govorit NeMoskva. /end

Sources:
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🔹 t.me/Govorit_NeMosk…
nemoskva.net/2023/08/07/tak…