What Russians Spend the 'Death Money' Received for Those Killed in War: NYT Report.

Journalists discovered what relatives of deceased Russian soldiers spend burial money on. Often, this money is enough to purchase real estate or a luxury car, reports The New York Times.

The Kremlin showers its conscripts with money, journalists claim. This is how the Russian government aims to solve the problem of a lack of personnel in the army, which arose, in particular, due to a lack of motivation.

The largest type of payments is 'death money.' These are paid to the families of deceased occupiers and amount to nearly $150,000. The publication emphasized that this is enough to buy an apartment in many Russian cities.

Some recipients of payments told journalists that with this money they also buy other things, such as new teeth, breast implants, and vacations to resort countries.

The director of the Russia Program at George Washington University, Ivan Grek, told journalists that military payments have become the main incentive for impoverished middle-aged men, who view these funds as a chance to escape lifelong debts.

Artem, a Russian soldier who fled from Russia, believes that 60% of the military personnel in his unit joined the army because of unpaid loans. He emphasized that almost all of them had alcohol and debt problems.

A report by the Bank of Finland's Institute for Emerging Economies noted that 'death money' is changing the face of countless Russian backlands. Experts observed that over the past year, the number of bank accounts in poor areas of Russia has sharply increased.

The average monthly salary of a frontline soldier is 210,000 rubles (about $2,100), which is a small fortune for residents of poor towns and villages in Russia, the publication noted. Analysts say that the signing bonus for a Russian army contract can be comparable to the average annual income per capita in the country.

'This money is a social elevator for those who went to war,' a resident from Buryatia named Ayan shared with journalists.

In recent months, recruitment posters across Russia have been increasingly emphasizing financial offers rather than patriotism, journalists note. These banners often feature large sums offered for signing military contracts.

Oleg Zhuravlyov, one of the founders of the PS Lab group, which studies people's attitudes towards war, said:

'People who wanted to join the army out of patriotic feelings have mostly already been recruited, killed, or wounded. There are few such people left in Russia.'

Some experts doubt that the payments to Russian military personnel are sustainable, noted the publication. According to analysts, at least 7.5% of federal spending annually goes toward salaries and payments for military injuries or deaths.

Let us recall, Russia does not intend to cease its military aggression against Ukraine for a long Time, despite the negative economic impact. To fund the war, the Kremlin is beginning to prepare regions for 'tightening the belts.' This is reported by the Center for Counteracting Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. Experts pointed out that despite the reduction in budget spending on Russian regions since the beginning of the year, the Kremlin now starts to acknowledge that citizens must make 'certain sacrifices' due to the prolonged war with Ukraine. Not long ago, the speaker of the Federation Council of Russia, Valentina Matviyenko, urged governors to save money, considering Vladimir Putin's decision to allocate a third of the state budget to continue the war.