Russian troops pay commanders to avoid Zaporizhzhya front
The invaders refuse to fight in Zaporizhzhya Oblast and bribe commanders (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)
Russian troops are paying their commanders to avoid taking part in fighting on the Zaporizhzhya front, the Atesh partisan movement reported, citing an agent from Russia’s 247th Air Assault Regiment on Dec. 18.
A group of servicemen was formed within the unit who pay the commander 50,000 rubles (about 26,000 hryvnias) in cash each month. In return, they are not sent to the front line, are kept at headquarters or assigned fictitious internal duties, while official records still mark them as “on combat duty.”
As a result, the invaders receive the full package of payments, statuses and bonuses, even though they are never actually deployed “to the zero line.”
“For those who do not pay, everything happens the opposite way: they are sent into assaults in any condition — with injuries, after concussions, without rest or rotations. Commanders say it directly: ‘If you paid, you stay. If you didn’t, you fight.’ Given the losses, this is perceived as buying the right not to die,” an Atesh agent said.
According to the partisans, this is no longer hidden inside the unit, and the “privileged ones” are immediately noticeable. They sleep indoors, eat separately, and their names appear on combat rosters, even though no one has seen them at positions.
“This deception breeds hatred and alienation, destroys discipline and completely kills trust in the command,” the Atesh movement said.
On Dec. 11, Ukrainian troops from the 33rd Separate Assault Regiment disrupted an attempt by Russian forces to advance toward Dobropillia on the Huliaipole axis. During the fighting, the defense forces killed 14 occupiers and destroyed enemy equipment, including motorcycles and a truck.
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