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The Russian soldiers must now stand trial.
X/ TASS
A case of fraud has rocked the Russian army: dozens of soldiers are alleged to have deliberately injured each other in order to collect millions in compensation. High-ranking officers are also involved in the scandal.
The Russian army is being rocked by a massive fraud scandal. As reported by the newspaper Kommersant, the Helsinki Times and Fox News, among others, at least 35 soldiers are said to have deliberately shot at each other in order to fraudulently obtain state compensation payments. The damage amounts to over 200 million roubles - around two million francs.
The investigation is focusing on the 83rd Air Assault Brigade, an elite unit that was also deployed in the war against Ukraine. The soldiers are said to have shot themselves in harmless areas of the body in order to feign injuries. This allegedly allowed them to collect compensation of up to 3 million roubles (around 30,000 francs) per person.
Two high-ranking officers are considered the main suspects: Colonel Artem Gorodilov and Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Frolov. Both were arrested in the summer of 2024.
Frolov, known as "the executioner" and previously celebrated as a hero in Russian state media, is even said to have instructed his subordinates to shoot him themselves in "harmless regions". He is also on trial for bribery and illegal possession of weapons.
Gorodilov is no stranger either: He previously led a regiment that was allegedly involved in war crimes in Butscha, according to international reports. He is on the US sanctions list because of these allegations. He now faces further charges of large-scale fraud in his home country.
The system was uncovered through the testimony of a brigade member at a military investigation authority in St. Petersburg. The soldier described in detail how wounds were falsified and payments defrauded - and thus got the investigation rolling.
