Ulhas --------- In the Army, it might be. Russian conscripts earn virtually nothing (which is the main reason why they engage in so much looting in Chechnya). I haven't heard about the army being told to forage, but they do "liberate" cash from the population in combat areas. What is common is for a commander who can't pay his soldiers to hire them out to some local business, where they work as factory workers, farmers or whatnot.
Chris Doss The Russia Journal