The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
Contract soldiers are lured into the Russian army with promises of safe rear-area positions, but almost immediately most are sent to assault units.
This was reported in an exclusive comment to ArmyInform by intelligence officer of the 4th Operational Brigade named after Hero of Ukraine Sergeant Serhii Mykhalchuk “Rubizh” of the National Guard.
“Young people are often recruited with such ‘tasty’ positions: UAV units, NBC troops, drivers, or even ‘guarding the Luhansk NPP’, which doesn’t even exist.
But as soon as they sign a contract, they are transferred to assault units — because that’s where the occupation forces suffer the greatest manpower shortage”, — he said.
As previously reported by ArmyInform, fighters of the “Rubizh” Brigade recently captured 20-year-old Serhii from near Yekaterinburg, who was promised service in a UAV unit but found himself in an assault company within a month.
“There’s also a fraud scheme with the upfront payments: in most cases, recruits never receive them because they die in the first month after signing. The money automatically stays on the unit’s balance”, — the officer said.
There are also other schemes enabling Russian commanders to profit off contract soldiers.
“In the 3rd assault company everything is arranged even more ‘beautifully’: after recruits receive part of their upfront payment (300–400 thousand rubles), the commander takes them to a military store that he owns. He advises them to buy clothing because ‘Russian uniforms are crap’. They leave almost all the money there. The remainder is spent on food that will be dropped to them by drones while they move for infiltration”, — the officer shared stories from Russian prisoners.
