Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
He was used in a propaganda video as an example of a true Russian patriot.
During the war in Ukraine, several reports of payout schemes, fraud, and other kinds of corruption have emerged from the Russian ranks and society.
Earlier this week, The Barents Observer reported that a Russian mayor faces 10 years behind bars for alleged fraud leading to a lack of heating for the families of Russian soldiers.
In July 2025, Reuters reported that a former deputy chief of Russia’s army general staff was sentenced to 17 years in jail for using contracts from the Russian Defense Ministry to line his own pockets with more than US$12 million.
In a column published in POLITICO in March 2022, Polina Beliakova, a senior research fellow at the Center for Strategic Studies at the Fletcher School, Tufts University, described how the problem of corruption in the Russian army actually started years before the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Now, an alleged Russian “war hero” is on trial for a payout scheme involving battle injuries.
On trial for fraud
According to The New York Times, a lieutenant colonel known by his call sign “The Executioner” is currently on trial in Russia, accused of taking part in a payout scheme.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s top criminal inquiry body, has accused Colonel Konstantin Frolov of orchestrating a fraud involving staged battlefield injuries.
According to the NYT, the committee has accused more than 30 soldiers and medics from the 83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade of shooting themselves with weapons to qualify for compensation.
Investigators allege that the false claims drained about 200 million rubles, roughly $2.6 million, from army funds, with commanders taking a share.
Frolov and another unit commander were charged with fraud, bribery, and weapons trafficking. The case is being heard in a military court.
Hero in propaganda video
The most embarrassing part for the Kremlin is that “The Executioner” has been used in a propaganda video as a shining beacon of Russian patriotism.
The video, released on Telegram by the Russian Ministry of Defense, shows the soldier wearing a balaclava.
According to the text of the post, “The Executioner” is a sniper, and in the video, he recalls how he allegedly saved a child while nearly losing his own life.
The text adds that “The Executioner” has been offered several chances to rest by his commander, but he has refused the offers.
“I want to celebrate the victory on the battlefield,” he allegedly says.
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Courtroom battle ahead
The NYT cites court records showing that Frolov entered a pretrial agreement, effectively admitting guilt in exchange for the possibility of a reduced sentence. He is due to appear in court next month for sentencing.
In a phone interview with The New York Times last year from a Moscow detention center, Frolov acknowledged involvement in financial misconduct but disputed the investigators’ account.
He said the scheme relied on falsified paperwork rather than self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Sources: The New York Times, Telegram channel of the Russian Ministry of Defense, The Barents Observer, Reuters, POLITICO
