In russia, Education Has Lost out to Barbed Wire

In the rf, prisoners’ incomes have risen to a level that exceeds teachers’ salaries in most regions. In 2019, the average income of convicts was 14,700 rubles, while in 2025 it reached 33,000 rubles—a 125 % increase. For comparison: in 73 regions, teachers earn less than the minimum wage of 22,440 rubles.

The school system suffers from a shortage of more than 250,000 teachers. A third of teachers are over 50 years old, while young professionals are leaving the profession due to low salaries and excessive workloads. As a result, the educational infrastructure is deteriorating and the status of teachers is declining.

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

The problem is that higher wages do not stop another process – the mass recruitment of convicts to fight 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 penal service who recruit “volunteers” for the front.

In this way, the kremlin is simultaneously raising prisoners’ wages and encouraging them to leave colonies for military units. As a result, the education system is losing teachers and the economy is losing workers. The priorities are clear: instead of investing in the future, the country is investing resources in rebuilding its repressive apparatus and military machine.