For Russia's military recruiters, money talks. In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin doubled the federal signing-on bonus for contract soldiers to 400,000 rubles ($3,850) — over five times the country's average monthly wage. Regional governments are expected to top this up further, although the exact amount differs in each area. In the Siberian Khanty-Mansi Autonomous […]

North Korea is believed to receive cash, food, and space technology from Russia as compensation for entering the war on its side, The Korea Herald newspaper reported on Nov. 3, citing a lawmaker familiar with the matter. North Korea has reportedly dispatched 10,000-12,000 troops to Russia, with the first soldiers allegedly already coming under fire […]

At a time when state coffers are starving for money to fund Ukraine’s survival, illegal smuggling is costing the country billions of dollars a year in lost tax payments. Through bribery or lying, smugglers avoid an estimated $2.4 to $3 billion in customs payments each year as they smuggle everything from cigarettes and iPhones to […]