Overview

• Samara reduced its regional one-time payment for new contract recruits from 2.1 million to 400,000 rubles, putting the total at 800,000 rubles with the federal 400,000, according to the oblast contract service site.
• Ulyanovsk lowered its regional payment from 2.1 million to 500,000 rubles for a combined 900,000 rubles with the federal portion, a move a regional source said was decided in August and not formally announced by the government.
• Authorities in Tatarstan, Chuvashia and Mari El set regional bonuses at 400,000 rubles, aligning new recruits to receive 400,000 from the region and 400,000 from the Defence Ministry.
• The 400,000-ruble level reflects a federal reference point set by President Vladimir Putin in July 2024 and functions as the de facto minimum for regional top-ups.
• In a counter-move, Chelyabinsk will raise its regional one-time payment to 2.4 million rubles and add 200,000 rubles from municipalities, with up to 400,000 rubles federally, for a total of 3 million rubles for contracts signed from October 20 to December 20.