Russia plans one-off payments to military, retired ahead of election

FILE PHOTO: Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Nikolai Yevmenov attend the Navy Day parade in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 25, 2021. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolsky/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said his government will make one-off payments to pensioners and military personnel this year to help them cope with a sharper-than-expected rise in inflation, the RIA news agency reported on Sunday.

Rising food prices are a sensitive matter for the Kremlin ahead of a parliamentary election in September.