Protests against Putin's rule in Tatarstan: Situation is also tense in Samara, Chuvashia, and Smolensk

[Starmix]

According to the report, Tatarstan authorities have reduced the one-time regional payment for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense by almost sevenfold. Now, instead of the previous 2.7 million rubles, recruits are entitled to only 400,000 rubles, according to updated data on the republic's military registration and enlistment office website, which Astra reported. There has been no official announcement from the regional authorities about reducing payments. The latest archived version of the military registration and enlistment office website, dated August 27, still shows the old amount. However, in early August, payments were actually increased from 2.1 million to 2.7 million rubles—the third increase since the beginning of the year. This situation is met with discontent in Tatarstan.

The report also stated that Tatarstan isn't the first region to reduce payments. In the spring, authorities in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug made a similar decision, reducing the one-time payment from 3.1 million to 1.9 million rubles effective April 15. Last year, Russian regions, including the annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, actively increased their payment amounts. Samara Oblast set a record, offering 3.6 million rubles. In early 2025, authorities in Mari El (from 1.4 million to 1.8 million rubles), Chuvashia (from 1 million to 1.4 million), Bashkortostan (from 505,000 to 1.6 million), Smolensk Oblast (from 1 million to 1.2 million), Kaluga Oblast (from 800,000 to 2 million), and Primorsk Krai (from 800,000 to 1 million rubles) also increased payments. According to estimates from the analytical project Re: Russia, in the first half of 2025 alone, federal and regional authorities spent over 2 trillion rubles on recruiting new contract soldiers and supporting active military personnel. Of this, approximately 400 billion rubles went toward contract signing bonuses, 865 billion rubles went toward pay, and another 765 billion rubles went toward compensation for the families of the dead and wounded.

These people in Tatarstan were robbed by the Putin government. They deserved to do that protest to claim what is theirs.

 

[gwolf666]

The decision by Tatarstan authorities to drastically reduce the one-time signing payment for military recruits is bound to create significant frustration among potential enlistees. Dropping the payment from 2.7 million rubles to just 400,000 rubles is an enormous reduction, especially considering the region had increased it multiple times earlier this year. Such fluctuations undermine trust in the system and make planning for a military career far less predictable for young people considering enlistment. While authorities might argue that budgetary pressures or federal guidelines necessitate the change, it seems inconsistent when other regions have been steadily increasing payments, some quite significantly. This inconsistency could discourage enlistment and potentially reduce morale among active contract soldiers. Transparency in these decisions is crucial to maintain confidence, and sudden reductions without clear explanations are bound to fuel discontent. The government should ensure that financial incentives align with the risks and sacrifices required by service, rather than creating instability for recruits.