Russian military contracts fuel economic changes in remote Siberian cities

According to The Wall Street Journal, signing bonuses paid to Russian soldiers — worth millions of rubles per contract — are reshaping economies in remote regions like Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, driving increased real estate construction and consumer spending. WSJ spent months interviewing current and former residents of Ulan-Ude and analyzing social media footage to document the consequences: new apartments and cars purchased with war money, alongside rising death tolls and the disappearance of a generation of men.