Murmansk offers huge sign-on bonuses to recruit drone pilots for the Northern Fleet

During a briefing with his cabinet on Monday, the Kremlin-loyal Murmansk governor announced major financial incentives aimed at boosting the ranks of the Northern Fleet’s new unmanned systems troops.

Clearly mindful that the governors of Belgorod and Bryansk were dismissed last week, Andrei Chibis opened the briefing by highlighting what he described as an “important task” set by Vladimir Putin.

The governor said the new drone units were “indispensable both now and in the future,” according to his press service.  

“Unmanned systems include not only aircraft, but also unmanned boats and autonomous underwater vehicles,” he said.

“Our goal is to assemble a team of professionals, so we have decided to introduce special support measures for those who will serve in the drone troops, primarily within the Northern Fleet,” Governor Chibis said. He added that both men and women are eligible to sign contracts.

Anyone who signs up will receive a one-off payment of 1 million roubles (€11,800). The sign-on bonus is jointly funded by the Murmansk regional budget and the Ministry of Defence.

After completing one year of service in the drone forces, recruits will be eligible for an additional grant of up to 2 million roubles to help them start their own business. The funding will come from the Murmansk region’s entrepreneurship programme, which will also provide assistance with business plans, paperwork and other administrative needs.

A further half a million roubles will be available in the form of a housing certificate under the Arctic settlement programme.

In total, the support package could amount to as much as 3.5 million roubles (almost €41,000) after one year of service.

Andrei Chibis stressed that no one joining the drone programme would be transferred to other branches of the military without their written consent.

That claim, however, is sharply contradicted by reports from the battlefields in Ukraine, where Russian students promised relatively safe, high-tech drone roles have instead reportedly been sent into frontline combat and killed.

The Barents Observer has previously reported that schools in the Murmansk region are now organising drone-operation courses for teachers. The training is conducted in cooperation with a regional military youth organisation, while instructors are drawn from the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade, a highly trained unit based only a few kilometres from the Norwegian and Finnish borders.

The ongoing drone training also includes underwater operations.

The Murmansk region is home to Russia’s Northern Fleet, with bases spread along the coast of the Barents Sea.