Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Wounded soldiers allegedly also have to pay thousands of dollars to be declared unfit for active duty – or risk being used as bait for Ukrainian fire.
According to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, March resulted in the highest number of Russian casualties in the more than four-year-long war so war.
More than 35,300 Russian soldiers were killed or seriously wounded, according to the numbers, and with the total Russian losses now estimated to exceed 1,2 million killed and wounded, it is not surprising if many Russian soldiers want to stay away from the front line.
In fact, Ukraine conducted more than 9,000 frontline missions using UGV’s (Unmanned Ground Vehicles) in March alone, and add to that the number of strikes from UAV’s (Unmanned Areal Vehicles), and it’s not hard to figure out that the front line is not the place to be, if you want to stay alive.
Russian soldiers can allegedly avoid being sent to the front line, but the wish comes with a price tag.
A $40,000 price tag.
Pay up or be “reset”
According to The Telegraph, some commanders are allegedly demanding payments of up to £30,000 (40,000 USD) from soldiers seeking to avoid being deployed to the front.
Those unable or unwilling to pay are reportedly “reset”, described as a term used for sending troops into high-risk assaults with little chance of survival.
PBS reported that injured soldiers must also pay significant sums of thousands of dollars to be declared unfit for duty.
Wounded? Then you’re bait
Those who cannot afford this are said to be sent back into combat despite their condition.
Seth Jones of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told PBS that wounded troops, sometimes still using crutches, are being “used as bait” to “draw fire” from Ukrainian positions.
Estimates cited by CSIS suggest that Russian casualties since the start of the 2022 invasion have reached around 1.2 million.
More fear of commanders than the enemy
PBS reported that many soldiers fear their commanders more than enemy forces, with videos circulating online showing alleged punishments including confinement, electric shocks and sexual violence.
The independent outlet Radio Echo said nearly 12,000 complaints were filed over a six-month period last year, accusing officers of corruption and brutality.
Sources: The Telegraph, PBS, The Economist, CSIS, UK Defence Journal, The New York Times, Radio Echo, The Week UK
