How are payments to BARS volunteers organized?

BARS volunteer units are frequently mentioned in reports from border regions, but the exact nature of payments to their members usually remains unclear. This is because volunteers and contract soldiers are different legal entities, and their compensation packages differ as well. Below is an analysis of the current regulatory framework: federal level, regional supplements, and primary sources.

Legal framework: volunteer contract and military service contract

Volunteer formations were introduced into legislation in 2022: Article 22.1 of Federal Law No. 61-FZ "On Defense" of May 31, 1996, was included by Federal Law No. 419-FZ of November 4, 2022. These formations are created by the Ministry of Defense or the Russian National Guard by decision of the President, and citizens join them by signing a contract to serve in the volunteer formation.

This is not a contract for military service. The procedure for admission, stay, and exclusion, as well as the standard contract form, are defined by Order No. 67 of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation dated February 15, 2023 (registered with the Ministry of Justice of Russia on March 6, 2023, No. 72533, applicable as amended on November 12, 2025); Section IV of this order is devoted to salary. Status also affects benefits: Subparagraph 2.2 of Paragraph 1 of Article 3 of the Federal Law "On Veterans" classifies as combat veterans those who joined volunteer formations that assist in the fulfillment of the tasks of the Armed Forces during a special military operation and the repulsion of an armed invasion. The confirmation procedure is discussed separately in the article on how combat veteran status is formalized.

What does the salary consist of?

The basic norm is Article 13.2 of Federal Law No. 76-FZ of May 27, 1998, "On the Status of Military Personnel," introduced by the same Law No. 419-FZ. The salary amounts are determined by the Ministry of Defense or the Russian National Guard, and are not lower than the salary amounts for military personnel serving under contract and holding corresponding (similar) military positions.

Volunteers do not have their own salary scale under the law—their pay is tied to their equivalent military position. Along with pay, the agency has the right to establish other monetary payments. The same article defines the recipients in the event of the participant's death: spouse, adult children living with the volunteer, guardians and trustees of minor children, dependents, and, if there are no dependents, parents in equal shares. Any amounts due but not received are paid in full for the entire month in which the death occurred.

One-time payments upon signing a contract

The difference with contract service is most noticeable here. The federal one-time payment of 400,000 rubles was established by Presidential Decree No. 644 of July 31, 2024, and is intended for those who sign a contract for military service for a period of at least one year. A contract for service in a volunteer unit is a different document, and the decree is not intended for it. Lump sums for volunteers arise primarily at the regional level or as departmental payments upon joining a specific unit, hence the wide range of published figures.

Regional surcharges: five examples

• Bryansk region. Bryansk Oblast Law No. 69-Z, dated October 2, 2023, provides a one-time payment for BARS-Bryansk participants: 150,000 rubles for contracts of at least six months and 300,000 rubles for contracts of at least twelve months. The same law establishes a different amount for those who sign a military service contract: 1,000,000 rubles, effective March 1, 2026.
• Belgorod region. A regional government decree published on October 28, 2024, introduced a monthly bonus of 45,000 rubles for BARS-Belgorod volunteers with a contract of at least one year and a minimum of 30 days of service. Effective April 1, 2026, this approach has been modified: the bonus will be retained for those performing tasks within a fifteen-kilometer strip along the state border, while it will be discontinued for all others.
• Kursk region. According to regional authorities, the monthly salary for BARS-Kursk participants has been increased to at least 120,000 rubles. A 50,000-ruble start-up bonus and a 20,000-ruble gubernatorial payment, paid in two installments, are also mentioned.
• Krasnodar region. Decree No. 834 of the head of the regional administration (governor) dated November 18, 2022, established a one-time financial assistance payment of 100,000 rubles; the text explicitly mentions a contract for service in a volunteer unit. The terms and amounts were subsequently revised by separate decrees.
• Moscow. Decree No. 58-UM of the Mayor of Moscow dated July 23, 2024, established a payment of 1,900,000 rubles, but its recipients are described as those selected by the city's military commissariat or selection point for concluding a contract for military service with the Ministry of Defense.

Hence the practical rule: a regional measure applies to a volunteer only when the subject’s act directly mentions a contract for service in a volunteer formation, and not just a contract for military service.

Insurance events: injury, disability, death

Presidential Decree No. 98 of March 5, 2022, on additional social guarantees is intended for military personnel, individuals serving in the National Guard, and their families. It does not apply to members of volunteer formations. A separate mechanism exists for them: Presidential Decree No. 582 of August 3, 2023, on measures to ensure mandatory state life and health insurance for citizens serving in volunteer formations, provides for compensation in the event of death, disability, or injury.

The amounts set out in the original version of the decree: 3,131,729.56 rubles in the event of death; 2,348,797.18, 1,565,864.79 and 782,932.40 rubles in the event of disability of groups I, II and III; 313,172.95 rubles in the event of a serious injury and 78,293.24 rubles in the event of a minor injury. The amounts are indexed: by RF Government Resolution No. 2011 of December 11, 2025, the amounts of certain payments, including those to citizens serving in volunteer formations, were indexed in 2026 with a coefficient of 1,04. Therefore, it is correct to calculate based on the version of the decree in effect on the date of the event, and not on the figures for 2023.

The application procedure is established by the Rules approved by RF Government Resolution No. 1987 of November 24, 2023: applications are submitted to the military commissariat at the place of residence or to the military unit where the formation was created. Application forms and accompanying documents are approved by Order No. 5 of the RF Minister of Defense of January 8, 2024. Monthly monetary compensation for disability is assigned according to the rules of RF Government Resolution No. 142 of February 22, 2012, which applies to citizens who served in volunteer formations.

Who is transferring and why do the figures require reconciliation?

The salary is transferred by the agency that created the unit—the Ministry of Defense or the Russian National Guard; the frequency of payments is determined by departmental regulations, not regional regulations. Regional supplements are distributed through the regional social security agencies, and the timing of transfers is determined by the regional regulations themselves. Survivor's pensions for disabled family members are awarded by the Social Fund of Russia, and this applies to the families of volunteer units just like to the families of military personnel.

The regional component remains the most dynamic: the BARS-Belgorod example shows that the additional payment is introduced by one resolution and then reformulated by another in less than a year and a half. The material reflects the regulatory framework as of August 2026, so before making calculations, it's worth consulting the original sources—the texts of the regulations on the official legal information website and the current regulations of the region. The structure of the units and the registration procedure are described in the overview on how BARS units are formed and how volunteer contracts are drawn up.