It’s Not About Propaganda, but About Payments: Expert Explains Why Russians Go to War

Political expert and serviceman Oleksandr Musiienko explained that the Kremlin recruits people to the war with enormous financial incentives, so stronger sanctions are needed to deprive the aggressor of its revenues, reports Politeka.

He spoke about this on his blog.

“Russians are still going to the front, drawn in by a system of generous bonuses. Propaganda, by the way, has nothing to do with it. Russians are being bought with money. Despite propaganda appeals, it’s the money that matters. For example, how much do they pay in Khanty-Mansiysk, the largest oil-producing region of Russia? Here it is — the total payment package for new recruits amounts to 4,100,000 rubles. That is equivalent to $53,000. They offer bonuses which, together with other payments, reach 2.5 million rubles. That’s how it is. They pay tens of thousands of dollars just for signing contracts, and then there are additional monthly payments,” says Oleksandr Musiienko.

He also notes that Janis Kluge, an expert on Russia at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, states that last year Russian regions spent at least 500 billion rubles on bonuses. Russia can continue meeting its military recruitment targets, and these payments account for only 0.5% of GDP, meaning the sums could be doubled to attract more people.

“These are the forecasts. There is still money, and Russia is spending it. But this potential is not unlimited either. One should not set a goal of merely inflicting 50,000 enemy casualties, assuming that this alone will stop them and paralyze the front. Yes, in many ways that’s true. Yes, it would reduce offensive activity. Yes, the enemy would not achieve significant advances or successes. But they will continue recruitment. Up to what limit? It’s hard to say. It’s unpredictable. As long as there is money,” Oleksandr Musiienko explains.

And in order to reduce those financial resources, he concludes, Ukraine is calling for tougher sanctions against Russia so that Russia’s shadow fleet would be completely blocked in the Baltic Sea.

Latest news:

Let's remember Politeka wrote, Expert Explains Why Europe Is Providing Ukraine with War Aid: “It’s the Greatest Shield”

Politeka also informed, He became one of the brightest figures in Polish politics: Sławomir Majman talks about the new president of Poland

In addition, Politeka informed, Expert Explains Whether the West Can Destroy Russia’s Shadow Fleet