Russian Officials' Salaries Doubled

Salaries for staff of the Russian government’s central apparatus have been doubled, as have those for staff of the presidential administration, a Kremlin spokesman said Tuesday in response to a report by a well-known business magazine. Forbes Russia had reported earlier in the day that the wage hike at the government’s so-called apparat – which comprises over 30 subdivisions, including the secretariats of the prime minister and his deputies – took place last fall following a comparable increase in President Vladimir Putin’s administration. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed to Business FM news radio that salaries at the two loci of executive power had indeed been nearly doubled, saying the rationale was to get the wages closer to those of military and security officials, and also that the raise had to do with an attempt to monetize public servants’ official, non-cash perks.

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20130313/179976503/Russian-Government-Staff-Got-Nearly-100-Wage-Hike--Kremlin------.html