Russians use Ukrainian attacks to commit fraud with old cars, governor says

A Russian governor accuses his countrymen of deliberately putting old cars in the line of fire – in the hopes of being able to collect compensation.

The war is hitting deeper in Russia

Ukraine has proven again and again that they are able to hit targets deep in Russian territory. One attack even occured 1,118 miles (1,800 kilometres) from the Russo-Ukraine border.

Governor slams new trick in borger region

At a government meeting, the Governor of the Belgorod Region, which borders Ukraine, slammed local Russians for forming groups “and trying to get state aid they aren’t entitled to”, independent Russian media, Novaya Gazeta, reports.

Old cars + Ukrainian attack = compensation

The trick used by these groups is to leave old cars in the streets when there’s drones or artillery fire incoming. The locals hope for the car to be hit by shrapnel, as this could entitle them to compensation by the state.

The explanation

The Russian government is offering compensation to Russians suffering damage from Ukrainian attacks. This could include cars hit by shrapnel or housing being damaged.

“Let’s get the car out!”

According to Novaya Gazeta, Gladkov said that he heard local residents say: “Our village is coming under fire. Let’s get the car out of the garage. If it gets hit, at least we’ll get the money”.

Nearly 14,000 damaged cars

In February, Gladkov said that nearli 14,000 cars had been damaged in the region. This amounts to compensations worth 2.5 billion rubles (€27.8 million).

Demanding resettlement

There has also been cases in the Belgorod region of residents demanding resettlement due to proximity to incoming fire. They do so in the hope of moving to new housing at the state’s expense.