Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law granting debt forgiveness to new army recruits who enlist to fight in Ukraine. The measure, whose final version appeared on a government website Saturday, underscores Russia's needs for military personnel in the nearly three-year war, the AP reports. According to Russian state news agency Interfax, the new legislation allows those signing up for a one-year contract to write off bad debts of up to 10 million rubles, about $96,000. The law applies to debts for which a court order for collection was issued and enforcement proceedings have commenced before Dec. 1. It also applies to the spouses of new recruits.
Russia has ramped up military recruitment by offering increasing financial incentives, in some cases several times the average salary, to those willing to fight in Ukraine. The strategy has allowed the military to boost its ranks in the conflict zone while avoiding another mobilization order. A "partial mobilization" in September 2022 sparked an exodus of tens of thousands of Russian men, who fled the country to avoid enlistment. The intense and drawn-out war has strained Russian resources; Putin in September called for the military to increase its troops by 180,000. To bolster its forces, Russia welcomed more than 10,000 troops to Russia dispatched last month by North Korea. They've begun joining in combat on the front lines, per the AP.
(More
Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
