Russian government shrinks soldier compensation for less severe injuries, fast-tracking change to avoid military scrutiny

Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Wednesday instructing the Russian government to set compensation payment amounts for injured military personnel based on the severity of the injury.

According to a government resolution (.pdf) published shortly after the president’s decree, soldiers will receive three million rubles ($30,240) for “light or severe” injuries that qualify as an “insured loss.” In other cases, however, the payment for “light” injuries will be reduced to 100,000 rubles ($1,000). Previously, soldiers received three million rubles for injuries regardless of severity.

The Telegram channel Faridaily noted that a mere 2.5 hours passed between the issuance of Putin’s decree and the publication of the government’s resolution on payments, allowing authorities to “avoid discussions with the military” about the changes.