Do Russians fight for Putin?

Faisal Azam
1 Jan, 2025

Russians fight for money. The wages of 240,000 ruble per month (USD $2,400), plus instant payouts of up to 3.6 million ruble (USD $36,000) on signup are what makes poor Russians agree to go to another country to kill its citizens.

Even the Russian ministry of defence admits it — by the end of 2024, the number of willing candidates for meat assaults dropped 3 times — but Russian generals say they aren’t worried: “People are just waiting for higher payouts,” generals explain.

Street ads in Russian towns no longer advertise patriotic slogans, calling to join the army, but only the amount of money the future “black bags” will be paid — adding both the instant payout and 12-month wages, for the amount to look more desirable. (Probably also because those who sign up would struggle to add it up otherwise.)

“6.5 million for 1-year contract” sounds way more impressive than “3.6 million plus wages of 240,000 monthly”. (The ads don’t mention the fact that at the front, most new recruits only survive for 2–4 weeks.)

For reference, Rosstat insists that the average monthly wage in Russia is 83,000 ruble ($830) — I highly doubt it, it’s probably more like 60,000 rub. ($600 per month). In regional towns though, average wages are under $500 per month.

Each region has its own regional bonuses on signup, which aren’t listed in the country’s budget as expenses for the war, but as “payments to regions”.

In the regions, the #1 task of governors is to provide the required numbers of cannon fodder, while maintenance of infrastructure is neglected. As a result, in many regions, thousands of people in cities are sitting without heating and power, as the pipes and power grid collapse amidst winter frosts, leaving whole districts in peril.

Russia suffered the largest personnel losses in 2024 — more than half of the all time total, since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 — 430,000 personnel killed and wounded.

Russia lost in 2024:

  • 430,790 Personnel
  • 3,689 Tanks
  • 8,956 Armored Vehicles
  • 13,050 Artillery Systems
  • 407 Air Defense Systems
  • 313 MLRS

The higher personnel losses aren’t only caused by the increased activity of Russian troops at the front, but also because of the high losses of armored vehicles — Russians now attack on bikes, cars, and even electric scooters. A lot of infantry is sent on foot — they aren’t even dropped near the front line by armored personnel carriers, but have to walk for miles.

Another reason for high Russian losses is the tactic used by the Ukrainians — the Ukrainians retreat, and as the Russians occupy former Ukrainian positions, the locations are covered by precision strikes, liquidating personnel and munitions.

This tactic is in particular used in the Kursk region of Russia, where the Russians attack relentlessly, with little regard for losses. Over just 5 months since the Ukrainians partiality occupied the Kursk region, Russians lost 38,000 personnel, trying to squeeze Ukrainians out.

During the first months of Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk, Putin refused to pay the same wages to those fighting there as to the troops fighting in Ukraine — because it wasn’t the “zone of special military operation”. In December, Putin said that these troops would be given the same payments and wages.

Just think about it: Putin had to offer more money to Russians to free their own Russian territory — they were not willing to fight otherwise!

Russians are only agreeing to kill people for money. Not for Putin, not for “great Russia” — for money.

The propaganda about “liberation” is just so these murderers could pacify their conscience.