The Defense Ministry is doubling the amount to be paid to Russian soldiers who fought in the 5-day war in Ossetia last August.

In 2009, the budget funds allocated for these payments have doubled against the initial amount of 2.4 billion rubles, and will reach 4.7 billion rubles ($138 million), Mikhail Motorin, head of the Ministry’s financial planning department, told Interfax news agency on Thursday.

The money will be paid as traveling expenses to the military staff who were in South Ossetia and Abkhazia during the conflict.

According to Motorin, the funds are enough to fully cover the Defense Ministry’s indebtedness to the August war participants.

It was earlier reported that the servicemen who took part in the military conflict between Russia and Georgia over the independence of Georgia’s breakaway province of South Ossetia had experienced trouble receiving money due to them as well as veteran of war certificates.

The war in Ossetia started on August 8, 2008, after Georgian troops reportedly bombed Tskhinval, the republic’s capital. Russia moved in its troops, and on August 12, Russia and Georgia signed a peace treaty. During the war, Georgia lost 175, and Russia 66 servicemen.