In Russia, prisoners' salaries exceeded teachers' incomes – Foreign Intelligence Service

In Russia, prisoners’ incomes have risen to a level exceeding teachers’ salaries in most regions. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (FISU), according to UNN.

DetailsIt is noted that in 2019, the average earnings of convicts amounted to 14.7 thousand rubles, and by 2025, it had already reached 33 thousand – an increase of 125%. For comparison: in 73 regions, teachers receive less than the minimum wage of 22,440 rubles.

The school system suffers from a shortage of over 250,000 teachers. A third of teachers are over 50 years old, and young specialists leave the profession due to low salaries and overwork. As a result, the educational infrastructure is degrading, and the status of a teacher is depreciating.

The increase in prisoners’ salaries is officially explained by the cooperation of businesses with the penal system. The state is trying to use colonies as an economic resource, promising “not a Gulag, but new conditions” for prisoners, who are supposed to replace migrant workers. But businesses face low qualifications and high staff turnover.

The problem is that increased salaries do not stop another process – the mass recruitment of convicts for the war against Ukraine. For many, this is a more profitable option than working in a colony. In the regions, bonuses have even been introduced for employees of the federal penitentiary service who recruit “volunteers” to the front.

“Thus, the Kremlin simultaneously raises the wages of prisoners and encourages their release from colonies into military units. As a result, the education system loses teachers, and the economy loses workers. The priorities are obvious: instead of investing in the future, the country is investing resources in reproducing the repressive apparatus and the war machine,” the FISU added.

RecallLeading industrial companies in Russia, including railways, car manufacturers, and metallurgical enterprises, are reducing the work week or sending employees on forced leave. This is due to the slowdown of the military economy, stagnation of domestic demand, and declining exports.

Large enterprises in Russia switch to a shortened week09.10.25, 01:26 • 3548 views