Putin lacks money for the army: Russian Ministry of Defense will postpone December salaries for military personnel

2026-11-03T04:48:50.000Z

The Russian Ministry of Defense plans to postpone the payment of salaries to military personnel for December to January for the first time due to a sharp increase in the budget deficit at the end of the year.

According to the draft order of the Russian Ministry of Defense, starting from 2026, the annual salary for military personnel for December will be paid in January of the following year.

Unlike previous norms, which required calculations to be made before the end of the current year, in line with the practice of Soviet times, the money will be transferred from January 11 to 21.

However, the innovation will not affect everyone. Military personnel participating in direct aggression against Ukraine will continue to receive December payments in advance - before December 25.