Drastic cuts

Putin cuts payments for the wounded

For Putin, soldiers are apparently just cannon fodder - who will now be compensated even less if they are actually wounded.

(Bild: APA/AP)

It only recently became known that Russia itself is sending wounded soldiers back to the front. Now compensation for the wounded is also being drastically reduced - at the behest of Vladimir Putin himself. The amount of payments will be reduced by up to 30 times.

This was reported on Wednesday by the Kremlin-critical portal "Meduza", among others. The site refers to a decree signed by Putin "On lump-sum payments to certain groups of people" to reorganize compensation. In future, payments will be linked to the severity of the injury: three million roubles will be paid for serious injuries and 100,000 to one million roubles for minor injuries.

Signs of massive losses
Previously, three million roubles were paid to all those affected, regardless of the severity of the injury. Critics see the rather drastic reduction in the once flat-rate solution as a reaction to the numerous losses suffered by the Russian army during the war of aggression against Ukraine. As recently as September, Western intelligence services counted up to 400,000 casualties on the Russian side - at least 70,000.

An abandoned Russian tank is inspected by a Ukrainian soldier.

(Bild: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Decree apparently fast-tracked
In order to prevent any criticism of it in the first place, the Kremlin is said to have been in a great hurry with the decree, as the Telegram channel "Faridaily" explained. It is said that there were only two and a half hours between publication and the government's decision on the payments, which enabled the authorities to "avoid discussions with the military about which injuries and how much should be paid".

Officially, the Russian military leadership explained the new arrangement simply as a "matter of fairness". A military analyst told the "Moscow Times" that the hurdle for soldiers to get the money is now higher. He therefore also expects payments to be significantly lower in future.

"You only get discharged if you simply don't have a head"
 Only recently, Russian soldiers also told Meduza about the cruel treatment of their own soldiers in Ukraine. "You can only be discharged if you are missing both arms or both legs or simply have no head," a soldier who wishes to remain anonymous reportedly told the magazine.

The Institute for the Study of War also reports on posts by Russian military bloggers who claim that the Russian military does not provide wounded soldiers with adequate medical care. Instead, they are allegedly being held in a so-called "medical cellar" and their release demanded in exchange for bribes of around 1.5 million roubles (approximately 15,000 euros).

Putin is currently calling up 133,000 new soldiers
Meanwhile, Euronews reports that around 133,000 men are currently being called up for a year's military service as part of the traditional fall draft in Russia. All men between the ages of 18 and 30 who are not reservists and liable for military service are affected.

This fall campaign, which runs until December 31, is the second regular round of conscription since the age limit was raised from 27 to 30, according to the magazine.