Russian Commanders Extort Bribes Not To Send Soldiers To The Front Lines
4- 20.02.2026, 13:08
- 1,958
Amounts go up to $40,000.
Russian military commanders are extorting bribes of up to $40,000 from soldiers for the chance to avoid being sent to the front lines in Ukraine, according to The Telegraph (translated by Charter97.org). Experts and witnesses claim that the corruption scheme is systemic and affects many Russian units.
Russian soldier Denis Kolesnikov said in a video, the authenticity of which has been confirmed by the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation (UCSC), that commanders demand large sums of money, threatening "zeroing" - being sent to deliberately deadly sections of the front. He said "more than half" of his unit had died after refusing to pay.
The deputy head of the (UCBS) Olesya Goryainova said such abuses are "widespread" and indicate serious problems with the motivation of Russian troops.
According to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), commanders sometimes send soldiers on suicide assaults for refusing to pay bribes. ISW researcher Katerina Stepanenko notes that the situation will worsen amid a lack of army reforms.
Other cases include the appeal of soldier Andrey Perevozchikov to Putin with complaints about commanders selling drones and equipment; the disappearance of soldier Valery Beloglazov after transferring his salary to the needs of the unit; the demand for nearly 2 million rubles for transferring soldier Igor Korshunov to the rear; and the claims of soldier Armen Ovsepyan to pay half of his salary for exemption from combat missions.
Experts believe that corruption undermines the combat effectiveness of Russian troops and increases soldiers' fear of their own commanders.
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