Some Russian front-line commanders are releasing soldiers from deadly missions only in exchange for large sums of money. Those who refuse to pay are deliberately sent on hopeless attacks, writes Focus.de, citing The Telegraph.
The commanders are demanding the equivalent of between 12,000 and 35,000 euros to release soldiers from particularly dangerous missions. Those who refuse to pay are deliberately sent on practically hopeless attacks.
A soldier describes the fate of the insolvent. In a video, a Russian soldier named Denis Kolesnikov describes the situation at the front. More than half of his unit has been “eliminated“ by their own commanders because they refused to pay.
Such practices are widespread in Russian front-line units. Soldiers are forced to hand over parts of their salaries under the pretext of “supporting the unit“. In some cases, it is alleged that soldiers who died in battle were not reported in order to continue receiving their benefits.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also cites similar cases of corruption and abuse of power in the Russian army. There have also been cases of abuse of social benefits for wounded soldiers. Experts see this as a growing problem for the leadership in Moscow: Many soldiers fear their own commanders almost as much as the enemy on the front.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin is creating the conditions for the gradual mobilization of reservists to compensate for heavy losses in Ukraine. The Russian State Duma passed a law in its first reading on February 18 that aims to tighten the “duty to defend the fatherland”. ISW also reports that this will create a legal basis for prosecuting citizens who criticize the mandatory conscription of reservists.