According to the results of the last three years, servicemen belonged to the category of the highest paid professional categories. This fact became the main reason that in December last year the Government established a moratorium on indexing monetary allowance military personnel. They do not say that there will be a salary increase for the military in 2018 in Russia latest news... It is not surprising that in the professional environment itself, such an attitude of officials causes a certain "offense". And so that the “offense” does not develop into a mass revolt, certain rearrangements and transformations are being carried out in the army environment, which maintains the balance.
Indexation cancellation period
The decision to cancel the indexation is quite justified. It is enough to turn to dry numbers. In the period from 2017 to 2018, the cost of monetary allowance will annually amount to more than 400 billion rubles. the question of suspending the indexation of military salaries was resolved back in December 2015, on which an additional law was adopted. And a year later, its validity was extended until January 2018.In practice, this rule has led to the fact that relative to the growth of inflation and consumer prices military salaries for last years depreciated by almost 50%, or more precisely, by 48-49%. Against the background of such an indicator, an increase in the salary of the military in 2018 will acquire particular relevance. So, even with the simplest calculation:
- depreciation of the pay of the military = 48%;
- projected growth in inflation and consumption. prices = 5.5%;
- respectively 48 + 5.5 = 53.5%.
And for the period 2018-19. the expenditures on salaries of civilian personnel in the armed forces will amount to about 209.7 billion rubles. Indexation of these categories of employees is also not provided. The salaries of civil servants have depreciated by another greater percentage... In this regard, the increase in salaries for military personnel in 2018 for the category of civil servants is also important, since the indexation of salaries of both categories takes place simultaneously.
What to expect next year
2018 promises to be a turning point in this regard. Firstly, the depreciation of wages risks reaching a critical point, and secondly, the highest degree of social discontent will form, which is especially unsafe among the military. There has already been a period in the history of the Russian army when the decline in the level of pay for servicemen led to a massive exodus of servicemen from the ranks of the army. This moment will negatively affect not only the size of the army, but also its combat capability, and hence the safety and security of the state's borders. Based on this fact, we can only assume that there will still be an increase in the pay of servicemen in 2018. But here are the limits and how it will be produced, so far we can only guess.Experts, sociologists and political scientists argue that if the Government does not take measures to change the law on the abolition of indexation, the discontent of the military runs the risk of escalating into mass unrest. This issue was also discussed in government circles. As a result, a bill was adopted that returns indexation and increases in military salaries in 2018.
This bill affects the interests of not only the military, but also law enforcement officials and federal civil servants, including judges, indexation, whose salaries are also suspended.
So, starting in 2018, the salaries of military personnel will again begin to be indexed. But the percentage or size, as well as the very principle of indexing, is likely to change. If the inflation rate was previously important, then in 2018 the issue of indexations will be resolved after the final balancing and budget approval. In other words, the indexation of salaries for military personnel in 2018 will depend on what kind of opportunity the budget has.
Considering that in 2016 there was no increase in pensions, it is difficult to talk about their increase in the future. The usual two-time indexing has been replaced compensation payments... In 2018 were questioned social payments, salaries of state employees and civil servants, as well as military personnel. Military pensions are not subject to indexation from January of the current year to the beginning of the next year.
Already today, this state of affairs is causing discontent in wide public circles. In official speeches, officials try to give encouraging forecasts about the increase in wages and pensions, but the current situation in the economy implies the opposite.
In the meantime, everyone includes only logic and speaks about what kind of salary the military should have. Moreover, both independent experts and the authorities themselves agree on this issue - the salary that will satisfy everyone should be at least 50 thousand rubles. And this is only a salary, but there should still be bonuses, all kinds of additives and other incentives of a material nature.
But so far this remains only the dreams and conclusions of the expert groups. Therefore, the military should hardly wait for an increase wages in 2018. It's good if they index it by real indicator inflation, and not according to what the authorities indicate. But without serious support, including financial, it is impossible to get a strong and reliable army. Moreover, as is known from the words of the former ruler Russian Empire it is only the army and the navy that are its most reliable allies.
The Russian army, whose prestige has risen sharply since the start of the operation in Syria, finally waited for the material encouragement of its achievements. For the first time in five years, the military has been promised an indexation of their salaries, and this will also affect military pensioners. How will the money allowance increase - and why, in spite of this, military pensioners still have reason to claim that the state is not paying them enough?
The Ministry of Finance disclosed the amount of defense spending for the next three years. In the corresponding national defense budget, national security and law enforcement activities have been allocated almost 6.8 trillion rubles.
As for the Armed Forces, 62 billion rubles from the budget will be spent on their maintenance (food, transport, infrastructure) in 2018. Another 14 billion rubles for certain events of the RF Armed Forces, plus 23 billion rubles for payment utilities, fuels and lubricants and foodstuffs.
However, the main item of expenditure, which will greatly delight the military, will be the indexation of monetary allowances and military pensions. The three-year budget provides for the indexation of military salaries and pensions by 4%. This has not been done for five whole years.
“The last time a serious increase was in 2012. Although the state legislatively assumed the obligation to index monetary allowances in accordance with inflation, ”says a military political scientist, associate professor of the Department of Political Science and Sociology of the PRUE. Plekhanov Alexander Perendzhiev.
“Today, the military profession is really associated with the risk to health and life in connection with participation in hot spots, primarily in Syria. The military threat against Russia is growing. The authorities must be sure that the servicemen trust them, especially in the context of hybrid, geo-economic and military pressure on Russia, ”the expert says.
Since the new year, the state returns to the practice of indexing monetary allowances to the inflation rate. Earlier, an amendment was made to the budget to allocate 53 billion rubles for this in 2018, 66 billion in 2019 and 122 billion in 2020. As a result, in three years the budget will spend about 240 billion rubles on the indexation of monetary allowances.
The VZGLYAD newspaper has at its disposal a telegram dated November 17, 2017 from the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Tatyana Shevtsova. It was sent to all the deputy commanders of the military districts for financial and economic work and to the heads of the financial support department of the Ministry of Defense by region.
The telegram says that according to the order of the government of the Russian Federation of November 3, 2017, the Ministry of Defense is preparing to increase the salaries of servicemen by 4% from January 1, 2018. Thanks to this, the pensions of former military personnel will also be increased, which depend on the current salaries. By December 7, 2017, all Required documents for the payment of pensions in new amounts for January 2018, the telegram says.
In other words, the promotion in 2018 is a settled deal. This practice is expected to continue in 2019 and 2020.
But, of course, the military never receive a "bare" salary. There is a huge system of allowances. “There are allowances that are paid in any case, for example, for seniority, which depends only on the duration military service... Other allowances must be earned, "- says the leading legal adviser to VZGLYAD newspaper law firm"Strategy" Evgeniy Darchenko.
So, for the length of service from 15 to 20 years there is a 25% premium. In this case, the squad leader with the rank of sergeant will receive 24,316 rubles from the new year. If our sergeant is well physically prepared and deserves an 80% allowance for physical training, then he will already receive 35,174 rubles. And if he also jumps a lot with a parachute, then he can receive a bonus of 80% for this, and then his monthly allowance is already 46,031 rubles.
In addition, there are also allowances for effective performance job responsibilities, for work with a state secret, for special conditions of service, for qualifications and completed tasks, for a hot spot. There are regional allowances, for example, for service in the districts Far north, and for other specific merits, which are indicated in the calculator (only some "exotic" allowances are not used there, for example, for work experience in cipher bodies). Therefore, in reality, the military receives several times more than the salary itself.
According to the presidential decrees in May, the pay of the military should be no less than average salary in leading sectors of the economy. Rosstat considered the fuel and energy complex and finance as such. In general, according to the Ministry of Defense, average level the pay of the military in 2014 amounted to 62.1 thousand rubles, which was 10% higher than the average salary in oil and gas production. In 2015 - 62.2 thousand rubles. For example ,
an army commander, a lieutenant general, on average, taking into account additional payments, received 117 thousand rubles, and a platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant - 50 thousand rubles.
There are no data on the average salary of the military for 2016 and 2017. However, the average salary in the oil and gas production sector amounted to 77.6 thousand rubles last year, and in finance - more than 80 thousand rubles (data from Rosstat). Probably, the average salary has already lagged behind these levels and, thanks to indexation by 4%, will approach them. Along with the new year, retirees' pensions will also grow, because they are calculated on the basis of military salaries.
However, unfortunately, there is a big fly in the ointment in this barrel of honey.
According to the calculator, a retired squad commander (5th grade of a military position) with the rank of sergeant (foreman of the 1st article) with a total duration of military service of 25 years (without regional allowances, but with a mandatory seniority bonus of 40%) from February 2017 it is 14,131.8 rubles, and from 1 January 2018 it will increase to 14,697 rubles.
Meanwhile, according to the calculator, from October 2013 to 2017, pensions did not stand still, and in total increased by 24%. However, in this case it is not entirely correct to talk about growth, says Evgeniy Darchenko, leading legal adviser of the law firm "Strategy".
He explains that since January 1, 2012, when the pay was significantly increased, the so-called. a reduction factor that was not previously available. In other words, the military began to receive decently, but pensions remained from those times when salaries for military posts and military ranks were small.
"The specified coefficient in 2012 was set at 54%, that is, it reduced the pension by the specified value, and therefore began to be called" lowering ", - explains the military lawyer. For comparison, he gives an example. If the retired squad leader with the rank of sergeant had not initially had his pension reduced by this coefficient, now he would not receive a pension of 14,131 rubles, but 19,565 rubles, that is, 5400 more. And taking into account the indexation of salaries by 4% from January 2018 - 20,347.6 rubles. It is easy to calculate that in just five years an impressive "underpaid" sum of 324,000 rubles comes out of the coefficient.
Why this was done is understandable. The state would not have been able to. But on federal law this pension reduction coefficient has been increasing by 2% annually since January 2013 until it reaches 100%. “It was assumed that pensions paid under this law will reach their target value in 2035,” says Yevgeny Darchenko. Between 2013 and 2017, this ratio increased slightly faster than planned.
“Since January 2013, excluding the current increase since January 1, 2018, pensions have been growing exclusively due to the change in the specified coefficient.
Most military retirees will only receive their full pension in 2035, no matter how old they are. Some of them will never see their "real pension" because they will not live to see this moment.
Therefore, it is incorrect to say that the pensions of military pensioners grew in 2013–2017, during this period they only approached the values they should be, ”says the military lawyer.
Moreover, he recalls that in the May decrees, the president asked for an annual index of military pensions by at least 2% above the inflation rate. But the presidential decree was not carried out. In any case, the reduction factor in six years has grown from 54% to 72%, that is, by 18%, while official inflation has been 42.68% over the years, Darchenko said. "Thus, the underestimation of the pension, not counting the expected annual increase of 2% above the inflation rate, amounted to 24.68%," he said.
But the military themselves are even more dissatisfied with the fact that individual citizens are already receiving their military pensions in full, without a reduction factor, and they do not need to wait for 2035. These include judges of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court and military courts, prosecutors (including servicemen of the military prosecutor's office) and employees of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (including the military investigative bodies of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation).
“How did a former investigator of the military investigative bodies or a judge of some garrison military court deserve such a special attitude? Why should a retired colonel receive a pension less than, for example, a reserve major, a former military investigator? We personally do not see any objective justification for such differences, ”the military lawyer sums up.
He believes that there should not be an unfair division of military retirees into those to whom the pension is immediately paid in full, and those who have to wait until 2035. In addition, the legal adviser adds, it is necessary to reduce the gap several times between the salary and military pensions. And one of the problems is that not the salaries of the military, from which the pension is considered, are growing, but allowances and bonuses, which do not in any way affect the size of pensions.
Last year was not the best for Russians in history, because the crisis reached its supposed peak, and the authorities had to look for the most optimal ways to solve this problem, and representatives of budgetary sphere- military personnel, doctors. However, in modern times the situation began to gradually recover, so the data on whether in 2017 , are of interest to many. The profession of a soldier today is considered incredibly prestigious, therefore, the number of people employed in this area is constantly growing, and they are incredibly interested in the issue of improving the material condition of this category of citizens. What is the government saying?
First of all, it should be said that the level of income of a serviceman today depends on several factors, which include:
- the size of the salary, which is in direct proportion to the rank (sergeant, lieutenant, general), as well as the position of the person;
- bonuses - incentive payments that the leaders of the organization write out to their employees for a job well done (on average, the amount of bonus payments is 25%);
- relatively small allowances in the amount of 10-40%, which are provided to servicemen for especially dangerous working conditions, as well as for merits in work and awards received for them.
Discussing the question of what will happen to the salary of the military tomorrow, it must be said that today they earn about 50,000 rubles, therefore, such a level of income even in the modern times of crisis is considered quite high, especially considering doctors. Moreover, this level of wages is considered to be just average, because it is worth adding additional allowances and bonuses to it, which significantly increase this indicator and make the military profession even more attractive for modern young people.
All hope for indexing ...
Given the rather difficult financial and economic situation in the country, the authorities had to cancel the annual indexing last year, because budget deficit was so tangible, and inflation was so high that the members of the government did not manage to afford an increase in the salaries of the military by the indexation coefficient. This fact has become a certain problem, because if representatives of other budgetary spheres of life in the state can count on increases in income due to local budget, then the salaries of military personnel are financed exclusively by the state budget.
However, there will be an indexation of the salaries of military personnel in Russia in 2017, and its size will please many, because the authorities decided to carry it out in full accordance with inflation, the amount of which will not be too high next year. The authorities did not plan to permanently abandon their social obligations, so the ongoing crisis will definitely not be a problem for raising the military's income. It is known that inflation next year will be relatively low (5%), and the indexation coefficient will be approximately 5.5%, which will cover the rise in the cost of food products. It will definitely not work to call such indexing essential, but this already suggests that an increase in the salaries of military personnel will nevertheless take place.
Will there be an additional increase in income?
Frankly speaking, no one has to talk about an additional increase in the incomes of citizens, because the country is now experiencing a deep financial crisis and there is no “free” finance in the state treasury to raise wages. In 2012, the president signed a decree on a step-by-step increase in the income of state employees, which provides for an annual indexation, and before the crisis, everything was relatively normal, but after the economy began to experience certain difficulties, everything changed. The president does not renounce his social obligations, however, the deficit has led to the fact that the increase in the salary of the military in 2017 in Russia will be carried out only through indexation. The end of the presidential decrees is scheduled for the end of the 18th year, because by this time the salaries of state employees should have increased by one and a half times, but only practice will show whether these requirements are feasible or not, therefore, you just need to observe the developing situation.
What do they say about abbreviations?
Today, the country is optimizing the budgetary sphere of activity, therefore, information regarding whether there will be a reduction in the military in 2017 is of interest to many. However, servicemen should not worry about this at all, because today the army is playing very essential in the life of the state and Russia maintains the image of a military power, therefore, no one is going to fire servicemen in such a situation. There is information that if dismissals are foreseen, they will affect representatives of the leadership of military organizations, whose responsibilities will be delegated among the remaining employees, but even if this event is held, the army will definitely not decrease by more than 5-10% ... Moreover, the authorities plan to improve the working conditions of contract servicemen, offering them high wages and comfortable working conditions, so that the number of military personnel in 2017 may even increase, which means there is no reason to worry.
What conclusions can be drawn?
Speaking about the increase in salaries for the military in Russia, the latest news about which many are concerned today, it is worth especially emphasizing the fact that the authorities constantly care about. In addition to increasing their income annually, they also provide servicemen with reduced-price meals and housing, and a number of additional benefits that make their life much easier. And no one is surprised at this, because Russia is a military power, therefore, it should pay due attention to the fulfillment of its material obligations to the military.
Western sanctions, which were introduced several years ago, greatly hampered the material support of the Russian army, because earlier goods for the army were purchased in foreign companies, but today domestic producers have to produce them on their own. At first, this fact caused panic among the citizens of the Russian Federation, but then it became clear that domestically produced goods are of no less quality than imported goods, but they are cheaper, so this can become a good condition for a gradual economic recovery, and, by the way, the rate of the military for 2017 in the Russian Federation will be increased precisely due to the fact that the authorities will save on the purchase of imported goods.
In addition, the authorities plan to increase pension payments military personnel, although the increase will be carried out through indexing. This fact only once again confirms how responsibly the members of the government treat the monetary allowances of military personnel, which means that today they can be considered one of the most financially secured category of citizens of the Russian Federation.
In 2019, the military will raise salaries by 4.3%, which will allow to increase average income up to 45 370 rubles. Over the past 5 years, the salaries of military personnel have been increased only twice: in 2012 by 2-3 times and in 2018 by 4%.
Will there be a salary increase for the military in 2019
Servicemen are one of the most socially protected categories of Russians. This opinion was held by the majority of officials for a long time. The basis for such conclusions was an expanded package of benefits, a program to provide affordable housing for the military. Definitely, the income of the military is much higher. But few people thought that the salary of the defenders of the Fatherland is depreciated annually without indexation.
Defense officials say military salaries have dropped 46% since the last significant recalculation of payments in 2012, and purchasing power has fallen 60%.
The presidential directive, in which it was announced that the salaries of military personnel should not be lower than the average salary of workers in the leading sectors of the economy, which include the oil and gas and financial sectors, is also not being observed.
To provide the military with decent wages, at the end of 2017, the Ministry of Defense developed 2 options for indexing monetary allowances (specific figures were not advertised).
However, the opinion of the profile committee was not taken into account in the final document approved by the Ministry of Finance. But it became known that over the course of 3 years, the salaries of the military will be increased annually by an amount exceeding the inflation rate.
In 2018, salaries by positions and ranks were indexed in January by 4%, for which an additional 67 billion rubles were allocated to the budget.
If indexation continues, expenses will have to be increased by RUB 83.9 billion. in 2019 and by 148.4 billion rubles. in 2020 The fact that the salary increase for military personnel in 2019 will still take place was also announced by Tatyana Shevtsova, Deputy Minister of Defense, during a conference call in March 2018.
Quote ... "Monetary allowance for military personnel and will be indexed from January 1, 2018, from October 1, 2019 and from October 1, 2020 by 4% each time. "
How much will the salary increase
Based on the statements of the Deputy Minister of Defense, the news was circulated on the network that the salary increase for military personnel in 2019 will be 4%. However, the resolution states that the annual recalculation will be carried out based on the actual size of inflation.
Therefore, the 4% increase in payments can only be called a planned floating indicator, conditionally tied to the size of inflation, which usually does not exceed this value.
According to the draft state budget for 2019, the salaries of military personnel will be increased by 4.3%, in a year this figure will be approximately 3.8%. The final figures will become known after the approval of the 2019 budget.
The increase will affect, first of all, monetary allowances in terms of salaries by positions and ranks. The size of the allowances in relative terms will remain unchanged. But if we take into account that all the increases for length of service, secrecy, risk, and so on are tied to the size of salaries, this part of the salary will automatically increase, which in some cases amounts to 60% of the salary of a soldier.
The timing of the increase
Since in 2018 the indexation of military salaries was carried out in January, many expected the next increase also at the beginning of the year.
According to the established schedule, the recalculations of salaries should be carried out in October. 2018 was an exception. The October increase in payments, including, was postponed to more early dates by personal decree of the President of Russia.
In 2019, the recalculation of salary will be carried out traditionally in October. That is, the re-indexation will take place not in 1 year, but in 21 months. In fact, during 9 months of 2019, servicemen will receive monetary allowances at the rates approved at the beginning of 2018.
What will be the average salary of military personnel
According to Rosstat, people who ensure the country's security earn an average of 43,500 rubles in 2018. Accordingly, after the salary increase, the income of the defenders of the fatherland will rise to 45,370.5 rubles.
However, the actual size of the military salary depends on many factors: length of service, class qualifications, special conditions labor. Therefore, absolute growth is calculated on an individual basis.
Table 1. Growth of salaries in accordance with the awarded rank (selectively)
| Rank | Salary 2018, rub. | Increased salary since October 2019, RUB (calculated) |
| Private | 5 200 | 5 424 |
| Sergeant Major | 7 800 | 8 135 |
| Lieutenant | 10 400 | 10 847 |
| Captain | 11 440 | 11 932 |
| Major | 11 960 | 12 474 |
| Colonel | 13 520 | 14 101 |
| Colonel general | 26 000 | 27 118 |
| General of the Army | 28 080 | 29 287 |
Source: Ministry of Defense website
Table 2. Growth of salaries by position (selected)
Russian servicemen are the main guarantors of ensuring the security and state integrity of the country. For a long time, the everyday difficulties of military service were leveled out by an increase in budget allocations aimed at the needs of the Ministry of Defense. The salaries of military personnel were consistently high, and the military profession was considered one of the most prestigious.
However, in 2015, due to the deteriorating economic situation and the country's budget cuts, the government was forced to "freeze" the annual indexation of the military's allowances. The approach of 2018 will raise the issue of revising the size.
Military salaries over the past few years
Related materials
but specified changes did not in any way affect the financial component of the material situation of the military. Practically due to the "freeze" of indexation, over the past three years, law enforcement officers have lost about 40% of their previous income, which was "eaten up" by inflation. At the same time, if we take into account the 5-6% increase in prices during these years, the level of well-being of servicemen fell by almost half by the period under review.
Despite the negative trend, it became known that the Russian government adopted a decree restoring the annual indexation of military wages at 4%. Funds have already been allocated from the budget for these purposes. It also provides for the receipt of compensation for remote regions, due to the involvement of the state territorial program.
The level of cash payments to employees of the military departments in 2018
It would seem that from January 1, 2018, it is planned to index the monetary allowances of the military. The country's budget provides 4% for these purposes.
V.V. Putin voiced his opinion on this matter and approved the revision of the amounts exactly in the amount of 4%. It was emphasized to them that pensions and salaries of employees of the military departments must be indexed simultaneously with 01/01/2018. In other words, the increase proposed by the Ministry of Finance will take place, however, several significant issues remain.
So, the proposed resolution implies an annual indexation - 4% both in 2018 and over the next two years (01.10.2019 and 01.10.2020). The problem is time, because if indexation is not carried out from the beginning of the year, the military will receive less income in 12 months, comparable to the salary for 9 months.
Suppose a soldier receives 23,000 rubles, from 01/01/2018, after a 4% indexation, his salary will be 23,920 rubles. It will remain as such for 21 months. When, from October 1, 2019, the indexation by 4% again occurs, the amount of the cash payment will already be 24,876 rubles. Thus, the military, to his "bonus" 956 rubles. for the nine months of 2019, will receive less than an amount equal to 8604 rubles. due to a time shift in the implementation of a new indexing. However, the servicemen themselves can calculate their costs.
