Putin extends decree of salary cuts for himself, other top Russian officials

The civil servants who fall under the salary cut under the decree include the Prosecutor General, the head of the Investigative Committee and the head of the Russian Audit Chamber. Under the new decree, the 10 percent cut in their salaries will remain in place until the end of 2018.

In March 2015, Putin issued the first order to reduce the wages of senior Russian officials, explaining the move as a result of economic hardships experienced by the country. Shortly before that, Putin also ordered salary cuts of 10 percent for all members of the presidential administration.

“This is a temporary ruling, caused by the current economic situation. If conditions do not change significantly, this period will be extended. If there is a change for the better, then there will be no more reason for the extension,” Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said in comments at the time.

In late February 2015, lawmakers from the Russian lower house, the State Duma, supported the speaker’s proposal to cut their recently-increased salaries by 10 percent as part of the Russian government’s budget optimization. However, the MPs also acknowledged that their consent would not be enough for the move, as according to Russian law the salaries of parliamentarians are calculated on the same scale as salaries of federal ministers.

After Putin’s order to cut the ministers’ wages the parliamentarians’ wages were reduced accordingly.