The Duma’s decision to remove age restrictions for soldiers signing short-term contracts also opens up a wider range of potential fighters. Now over-40s can join, opening a door for veterans with experience in the conflicts that followed the breakup of the Soviet Union, including Moscow’s two wars in Chechnya.
“There were lots of Russians who saw combat in the 1990s who are older. Demographically, Russia also has an aging population,” said Mr. Watling. “Given where the body of the population is, the Duma law is understandable.”
Russia’s military has meanwhile raised monthly salaries for contract soldiers to nearly $4,000 a month, about four times the average salary in Russia, together with bonuses for planes and tanks destroyed. Recruits can sign up for as few as three months. For Moscow’s purposes, it isn’t ideal, military analysts say.
“This kind of short-term contracting with people coming and going—it disrupts unit cohesion,” said Mr. Watling.
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