Russia enlists volunteers to guard fuel stations as Ukraine offers €10,000 monthly to foreign fighters

Moscow has begun recruiting volunteers, dubbed “popular militia,” to protect fuel stations and other key sites after a surge of Ukrainian drone attacks. The programme offers bonuses of up to €5,000 for each drone shot down and more than €1,000 per drone destroyed, with a target of 2,500 volunteers aged 18‑50 to form up to 500 mobile groups covering Moscow and nearby regions.

In Kyiv, the defence ministry announced a new pay package for foreign volunteers fighting on the front lines. Contracts run 6‑14 months and salaries range from about €7,000 to over €10,000 a month, with the aim of filling 30‑50 % of infantry and assault unit slots with experienced veterans from NATO and other armed forces. Officials warn that short‑term contracts risk high turnover, as many foreign fighters leave after the minimum six‑month period.

Both measures reflect the increasingly strained manpower resources of the warring parties, with Russia turning to low‑cost civilian volunteers for air‑defence tasks and Ukraine competing globally for seasoned combatants by offering some of the highest infantry wages in the world.