Searches surge as Russian women seek war contracts for spouses
Russian women have begun searching the internet in large numbers for ways to send their husbands to war, reports the portal ura.ru. This is linked to the increase in one-time payments for signing a contract. There has also been a sharp rise in inquiries about "how to send an ex to the special military operation zone."
Following the increase in regional and federal payments for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defence in July and August, there has been a marked increase in searches on the Yandex search engine with the phrase "how to send a husband to the special military operation zone/to war," according to an analysis of search statistics.
They want to send their husbands and exes to war
Since July 2023, there have been fewer than 200 such inquiries per month on average across the country. However, by July and August 2024, interest increased more than twentyfold, averaging around five thousand inquiries per month.
Putin tempts with money
At the same time, payments for volunteers increased on average fivefold. On 31st July, Vladimir Putin signed a decree to increase federal one-time payments from 195,000 to 400,000 roubles (approx. £1,600 to £3,300). The Kremlin recommended that regions pay at least the same additional amount.
As a result, volunteers signing a contract could receive an average of one million roubles upfront, which is about £8,200— estimated by the portal "Important Stories".
This amount is roughly equivalent to one and a half years of work for an average Russian salary.
In October 2024, the Yandex search engine also saw an increased number of inquiries about "how to send an ex to a special military operation." Russians searched for this 2,314 times in October and 2,207 times in November.
In July, Russian media reported that Tatarstan's authorities were the first in the country to offer money in exchange for "recruiting" their relatives, friends, and acquaintances to the war with Ukraine. They promised to pay 100,000 roubles for each recruit, which is around £820.
Massive losses on the front
The highest salary, reaching 3 million roubles (approx. £24,600), is paid in the Belgorod and Nizhny Novgorod regions, where 2.6 million comes from local budgets and 400,000 from the federal budget. In Moscow, the total is 2.3 million roubles (approx. £18,900), and in St. Petersburg, 2.1 million roubles (approx. £17,300). The lowest payment from regional and federal budgets is 800,000 roubles.
Regions are increasing the remuneration for joining contracted service to replenish the ranks of the army, which—according to Western intelligence—has suffered losses of over 600,000 people (killed and wounded) in Ukraine.
