Russia tightens military discipline amid rising war costs
According to analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian authorities are concerned about the increasing economic costs of the war in Ukraine and are attempting to enforce stricter discipline within their military. Russian soldiers are now required to repay one-time funds received upon signing military contracts if they commit "gross disciplinary offense."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia currently does not plan to conduct another mobilization because Russians are voluntarily signing up for military operations.
In the ISW report, analysts note that Russian authorities are making various efforts to encourage military service. On Saturday, Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing the cancellation of overdue loans up to $105,000 for men fighting in Ukraine and their wives. This applies to debtors whose debt collection proceedings would be initiated by December 1—if the debtor enlists in the military and signs a contract for at least a year, their debt will be canceled.
"Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing soldiers who served in Ukraine to write off loans of up to 10 million roubles (approximately $96,000) if courts initiate debt collection before 1 December 2024, likely aimed at motivating indebted Russians to join the Ministry of Defense," emphasize analysts from the American institute, highlighting the Kremlin's growing concern about the war's financial burden on the country.
"The Russian government remains concerned about the economic cost of continuing to wage war in Ukraine, particularly in compensating Russian soldiers," the report states.
Experts remind us that the Russian Ministry of Defense presented a bill on November 22 that requires soldiers to repay one-time funds if they commit "gross disciplinary offense" or skip military duties.
In this way, as ISW emphasizes, Putin aims to discipline soldiers, especially since they continue to "publicly complain about the Russian military command's poor treatment of Russian soldiers."
