Russia offers troops £930 cash bonuses for any US or UK tanks they destroy
Russia offers troops £930 cash bonuses for any US or British tanks they destroy
- Russian troops receive payment for destroying vehicles supplied by ‘NATO’
- It is part of a broader reward system, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense
Russia has offered troops bonus payments for every Western-made tank they destroy, the defense ministry said.
Russian troops will receive a payment of £930 for destroying German-made Leopard tanks and other armored vehicles supplied by ‘NATO countries’.
It comes as Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Sunday awarded the “Hero of Russia Gold Star” medal to soldiers who destroyed armored equipment used in the Kiev counter-offensive.
It is part of a broader rewards system in which more than 10,000 Russian military personnel have received bonuses since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine nearly 16 months ago, the defense ministry said.
It said: “Payments are currently being made to servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation who have destroyed Leopard tanks during military operations, as well as armored fighting vehicles made in the US and other NATO countries.”
Russian troops will receive a payment of £930 for destroying German-made Leopard tanks and other armored vehicles supplied by ‘NATO countries’. Pictured: Destroyed American and German-made tanks in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, last week
According to the ministry, a total of 10,257 military personnel have been awarded for destroying 16,001 items of Ukrainian and Western military equipment by May 31.
It added that an enemy armored vehicle was worth 50,000 rubles (£467) and a tank 100,000 rubles (£930), it said.
Military pilots and air defense operators received 300,000 rubles (£2800) for every Ukrainian aircraft or helicopter destroyed.
Hits on Tochka-U and US-supplied HIMARS missile launchers are awarded the same amount.
In March, state advertisements suggested that Russian recruits were offered up to £530 for every kilometer gained in Ukraine.
An advertisement posted by a municipality in the Yaroslavl region promised a sign-up bonus of £3,100 and an additional £530 for ‘every kilometer of progress within assault teams’.
According to the ministry, a total of 10,257 military personnel have been awarded for destroying 16,001 items of Ukrainian and Western military equipment by May 31. Pictured: Three British-made Challenger 2 tanks in Ukraine
It added that an enemy armored vehicle was worth 50,000 rubles (£467) and a tank 100,000 rubles (£930), it said. Pictured: Two German-made Leopard 2 tanks
The ads offering recruits monetary rewards appeared on government websites and social media accounts of libraries and high schools across Russia.
It came as Vladimir Putin was desperately trying to avoid another round of unpopular mobilization that saw tens of thousands of men flee the country last year.
The Yaroslavl advertisement also offered a monthly salary of £2,000 plus £80 per day for ‘involvement in active offensive operations’.
Recruiting agencies worked with universities and social services to entice students and the unemployed to enlist in the military, with makeshift recruiting centers popping up in cities and towns.
But Russia analyst Kateryna Stepanenko wondered if the recruitment drive would be successful.
She told the Telegraph: “They’ve already recruited a significant portion of the people who were financially incentivized. And they had trouble with that last year.’
Recruiting agencies teamed up with universities and social services to entice students and the unemployed to enlist in the military
Putin announced on September 21 last year Russia’s first mobilization since World War II.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at the time that some 300,000 additional personnel would be called up.
But the mobilization was chaotic with many highly publicized cases of call-up messages going to the wrong men.
Tens of thousands of men also fled Russia to avoid being drafted into Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.