KYIV, Ukraine – In a notable development, President Vladimir Putin of Russia has enacted new legislation that offers debt relief to individuals who enlist in the military. This initiative appears to be a strategic response to the pressing requirement for troops in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has now persisted for nearly three years. The recent signing of this law was made public on a government website over the weekend, aligning with a period of heightened military activity as Russia tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile last week.
Under the provisions of this new measure, individuals who commit to a year-long military contract can eliminate outstanding debts of up to 10 million rubles (approximately $96,000). The legislation is particularly inclusive, extending benefits not only to new recruits but also to their spouses. The initiative seems aimed at incentivizing military service, reflecting the military’s growing reliance on financial rewards to attract volunteers, especially after a previous mobilization order in September 2022 led to an exodus of Russian men seeking to evade conscription.
The ongoing conflict has placed considerable strain on Russian military resources. In a previous appeal in September, Putin highlighted the need to bolster troop numbers by an additional 180,000 soldiers. Compounding the situation, reports indicate that North Korea dispatched over 10,000 troops to support Russia during October, with some now reportedly involved in frontline combat, further intensifying the pressure on Ukraine’s already stretched military.
Coinciding with these recruitment efforts, the Kremlin launched a new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile towards Ukraine on Thursday. According to Putin, this offensive was a direct response to Ukraine’s recent deployment of American and British long-range missiles that can target deeper into Russian territory. The remnants of this new missile, termed Oreshnik (which translates to “hazel tree” in Russian) were presented to media by Ukraine’s Security Service; it had struck a factory in Dnipro.
Security officials on the scene indicated that while the remnants of the missile, identified as a variant of Russia’s RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile, were yet to undergo detailed analysis, their structure was notably damaged. Experts highlighted that this marked the first instance of such missile debris being found within Ukrainian territory. It’s reported that the missile, which contained six warheads each armed with submunitions, was launched from a test range located in the Astrakhan region of Russia and flew for around 15 minutes before reaching its target.
In a separate development, Moscow conducted an aerial assault using 73 drones on Ukraine overnight into Sunday, according to Ukraine’s air force. Of these, 50 drones were reportedly intercepted, with four possibly lost due to electronic countermeasures. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed that Russian forces had unleashed over 800 guided aerial bombs, about 460 attack drones, and more than 20 missiles on Ukraine within the past week. Meanwhile, in Russia, defense officials reported shooting down 34 Ukrainian drones in several regions, including Kursk, Lipetsk, Belgorod, and Oryol, signaling a continued and active conflict on both sides of the border.