Members of the Russian National Guard are starting to be offered thousands of dollars if they agree to fight in the country's war on Ukraine.
A new decree from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday will give the nation's National Guard, known as the Rosgvardia, offers of 400,000 rubles (the equivalent of $3,800), provided they agree to enlist for service in Ukraine.
According to The Moscow Times, only people who have signed up to work in the National Guard for at least a year will be eligible for the bonus, while cadets and other trainees are not allowed to claim the incentive.
The bonus scheme was originally offered to recruits in the Russian military in July, with the new policy for the National Guard being an extension of that scheme.
The new decree states that the bonuses are for soldiers who take part in "the execution of tasks within the special military operation on the territories of the Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Zaporizhzhia Region, Kherson Region, and Ukraine."
The Russian Government has continued to identify the regions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Kherson as independent from Ukraine since the war escalated in 2022. Kyiv maintains that the contested regions remain a part of Ukraine.
Newsweek contacted the Russian Ministry of Defence for more information about the policy via email.
The new policy comes amid significant losses within the Russian military in recent weeks. Within the last 24 hours, Ukraine's Armed Forces reported that Russian forces have suffered 1,480 casualties, along with the loss of 19 artillery systems.
Estimates suggest that Russia has lost 733,830 troops since the invasion began. However, Russia does not publicize its own military losses. Newsweek was unable to independently verify these figures and contacted the Ukrainian Defence Ministry for comment via email.
Additionally, some regiments of the Russian army have reportedly been hit by desertions, with the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division, stationed in Volgograd, losing over 1,000 men to abandonment, according to Russian investigative outlet iStories.
Recently, reports emerged that the Russian military was being bolstered by troops from North Korea. South Korean intelligence estimated that over 10,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Kursk, which was the site of Ukraine's offensive into Russian territory, in order to take back the ground lost in the countermove.
Russia has not confirmed or denied the presence of North Korean troops in Kursk.
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