Kathrine Frich
Control, survival and money are intertwined with daily life as a Russian soldier.
As the conflict drags on, accounts from the front suggest a system where access to safety can depend on what soldiers are willing to pay.
A deadly system
According to a joint investigation by Die Welt and independent outlet Verstka cited by Onet, some Russian commanders are exploiting their authority for profit, demanding payments from soldiers in exchange for safer assignments.
Reporters spoke with more than 20 soldiers and relatives, reviewing documents, receipts and chat records to verify their claims.
One soldier, Maksim Ivanov, described how power operates within certain units: “They decide who lives and who dies.”
Paying to survive
Ivanov said he was asked to pay 1 million rubles, roughly $11,000, to avoid being sent on a near-certain assault shortly after arriving at the front.
“Then I understood why he had scared us so much before,” he said.
Others reported similar arrangements, where soldiers could pay to stay in rear positions, transfer to less dangerous units or avoid returning to combat after being wounded.
A monthly “subscription”
Some payments were not one-off demands but ongoing.
“It’s like a subscription, you pay every month so they don’t send you to slaughter,” Ivanov said, describing regular transfers of about 100,000 rubles, or around $1,100.
According to testimonies cited by Die Welt and Verstka, those who refused to pay were often sent on high-risk missions.
Control and coercion
Former soldier Maksim Sokolan said commanders in his unit collected bank cards and PIN codes, giving them direct access to soldiers’ funds.
In other cases, requests for money were framed as unit needs, including equipment purchases or so-called “battalion assistance.”
Alexei Andreev, another former contract soldier, said troops were routinely asked to contribute between 15,000 and 50,000 rubles for gear such as radios and drones.
Violence and pressure
Refusal could carry consequences beyond reassignment.
Igor Vakhterov, who had previously fought with the Wagner Group, said he was beaten after rejecting a demand to hand over half his bonus.
Other accounts describe soldiers being detained, threatened or placed in dangerous positions after disputes with commanders.
Life and death stakes
The investigation also points to a practice known among soldiers as “zeroing,” where individuals who resist orders are allegedly sent into extreme danger or killed under unclear circumstances.
Even medical evacuation could depend on payment, with one soldier claiming it sometimes cost up to 100,000 rubles to transport the wounded.
A system unchecked
Families and soldiers have filed complaints with military prosecutors, but many say they have received no response.
The Russian Ministry of Defense did not reply to requests for comment from Die Welt and Verstka at the time of publication.
The structure of command, where officers control assignments, transfers and medical decisions, allows such practices to persist, according to those interviewed.
“You pay and you might stay alive,” Ivanov said.
Sources: Die Welt, Verstka, Onet.
