People in Russia pay bribes on a massive scale to avoid going to war in Ukraine
1 August 2024 11:47
The Russian occupiers are massively bribing people to leave the army and not go to fight in Ukraine. This is evidenced by a sharp surge in registered criminal proceedings. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.
“The army of the aggressor state of Russia is experiencing growing problems with its personnel: the number of people willing to leave the service and avoid death in the war waged against Ukraine is growing,” the report says.
The intelligence reports that this is evidenced by a sharp surge in registered criminal proceedings on bribery in the Russian army.
For example, in the southern military district of the Russian Armed Forces, the number of criminal cases opened for illegal dismissal for health reasons and illegal leave has tripled in five months of 2024.
Almost half of these proceedings are being investigated against the occupiers of the 8th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Armed Forces. Another 36% are related to the 58th Combined Arms Army of the aggressor state, whose commander was arrested on suspicion of corruption in the spring of this year.
At the same time, more than 100 proceedings opened against officials of military units of the southern military district of the Russian Armed Forces relate to bribery for granting leave from the combat zone.
Among them:
- 38 cases – against servicemen of the 102nd motorised rifle regiment (fighting in the area of Chasovyi Yar);
- 35 cases concerning the 71st motorised rifle regiment (located on the border with Sumy region);
- 33 cases related to the 49th Brigade of the 49th Army.
Another 43 proceedings are investigating bribery for recognising the Russian occupiers as having limited fitness.
It is noted that the level of corruption in the Russian army has always been high, but such cases of bribery have not been noticed before.
“The recording of relevant episodes in the form of criminal cases may indicate an increase in the level of demoralisation of the occupation forces and a threatening trend for Moscow to escape from the Russian army by any means,” the DIU stressed.
As reported, the Economist analysed the leaked data from the US Department of Defence on Russia’s losses in the war against Ukraine. According to the journalists’ estimates, the Russian army lost between 462 and 728 thousand soldiers.
In total, Russia’s losses in Ukraine since 2022 exceed the number of losses in all its wars since the Second World War combined.
