The Russian Defense Ministry has drafted rules that would force convicted servicemen to return part of their one-time contract payment if they are not discharged after sentencing, with the amount calculated proportionally to the months remaining on their contract. The rules would apply to contract personnel of the ministry and the National Guard (Rosgvardia).
In an explanatory note, the ministry said the change is needed for "increasing the motivation of servicemen to comply with the legislation of the Russian Federation." The payments in question amount to 195,000 or 400,000 rubles, according to the document. The Moscow Times notes the draft concerns the federal benefit only and does not affect regional payments, which can reach several million rubles.
Aleksei Tabalov, founder of the human rights project "School of the Conscript," told Verstka he believes the ministry was pushed toward the decision by the large number of deserters and servicemen who committed other crimes against service. He also suggested the authorities may be seeking to save money on payments.
By the end of 2025, according to official court statistics cited by The Moscow Times, Russian servicemen who returned from the front had killed and injured more than 1,000 people. At least 551 people died at the hands of war participants, and another 465 suffered serious injuries.