A group of Trans-Baikal residents who had served in Ukraine will hold a rally if they do not receive the promised payments from the authorities. This was reported by the Chita.ru publication on March 31.
Thirteen soldiers from the Trans-Baikal Territory have reported that they have not received the lump sum payment of 195 thousand rubles ($2,500). Initially, the authorities promised to transfer the money before the men were deployed to Ukraine. Later, the payments were promised to be made only after their return. A group of soldiers came back in early February because of injuries. In an interview with Chita.ru they said that so far none of them had been paid.
The military enlistment office allegedly directed the soldiers to the regional government where they were supposed to have a meeting with Deputy Governor Andrei Kefer. However, he said that the delay in payments could be due to a banking error. In response, the men threatened to hold a rally in the town square.
In late January, Alexander Osipov, Governor of the Trans-Baikal Territory, pledged to pay 3 million rubles ($38,460) for capturing a Leopard tank. However, he later suggested that residents of the region should pool in for bonuses for the military.
This is not an isolated case, as many soldiers from various regions have complained about payment delays. In late November, 537 families of soldiers informed Duma member Maksim Ivanov that they had not received the money. The largest number of unpaid soldiers is in the Sverdlovsk Region.
