Putin signs decree canceling debts for new Ukraine war recruits

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday canceling debts of up to 10 million roubles — roughly $140,000 — for new military recruits and their spouses, the Kremlin announced, as Moscow continues to deploy financial incentives to sustain its war effort in Ukraine more than four years after the full-scale invasion began.

Who Qualifies

The decree applies to individuals who signed a contract with the Russian Defence Ministry on or after May 1 for a minimum term of one year to participate in what the Kremlin calls its "special military operation," according to Reuters. Their spouses are also eligible, provided a legal claim for the debts was active prior to that date.news.yahoo

The debt relief is roughly equivalent to the price of a 35-square-meter studio apartment in Moscow, based on data from the Cian real estate database. On the same day, Putin signed a separate decree indefinitely extending rental rights to state-owned land for those serving in the conflict.devdiscourse+1

A Familiar Playbook, Expanded

The decree follows a pattern of escalating financial enticements Moscow has used to avoid a politically costly general mobilization. In November 2024, Putin signed a law offering a similar debt write-off of up to 10 million roubles for recruits who signed contracts from December 1 of that year. That legislation also covered spouses and was aimed at those facing active debt collection proceedings.dw+1

Beyond debt forgiveness, Russian recruitment packages now routinely include lump-sum payments of 1.7 million roubles, preferential access to higher education, and regional signing bonuses that have climbed into the millions of roubles. Recruitment drives have extended into medical facilities, with one AIDS prevention center in Karelia advertising military contracts to patients living with HIV and hepatitis.arctictoday+1

Recruitment Pressures Mount

The expanded incentives come as U.S.-led peace negotiations remain stalled and Russia faces sustained manpower demands. Ukrainian intelligence assessed earlier this year that Moscow aimed to recruit nearly 67,000 contract soldiers in 2026. The Institute for the Study of War has noted the Kremlin has spent months building the legal framework for potential involuntary call-ups, including decrees enabling year-round conscription and deploying reservists abroad without declaring mobilization.facebook+1

The financial cost of these incentives continues to grow. A U.S. Army analysis noted that the debt forgiveness program alone was estimated to cost roughly 11 billion roubles, split between the Russian government and banks.t2com.army