December 05, 2023

$10,000 for a Fake Injury


$10,000 for a Fake Injury
Readiness check of the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Wikimedia Commons

A system of bribery has been uncovered in Russia's army fighting in Ukraine that allows military personnel to pay for various privileges, such as medical leaves, rotations, and even exemptions from participating in assaults.

Novaya Gazeta Evropa gleaned the information from conversations with the mother of a serviceman from the Storm-Z unit – an active Russian officer.

According to the paper, soldiers can pay anywhere from $500-3,000 for a transfer to different sectors of the front. Vacations come at a steeper price, ranging from $5,000-10,000, but officers are barred from purchasing this particular benefit.

A fake concussion, or a wound requiring hospitalization, costs $10,000-50,000, depending on the serviceman's position and the specific sector of the front where they are fighting. The expenses incurred for "acquiring" such injuries could potentially be compensated for through government payments, as wounded individuals in war are eligible for a payout of R3 million (approximately $30,000).

Previously, Vazhnie Istory, an independent Russian outlet specializing in investigative journalism, reported about bribery within the Russian military. Analyzing verdicts from military garrison courts, journalists discovered that conscripts paid up to R400,000 (about $4,000) to evade deployment or to leave the front.

Mobilization began on September 21, 2022, with Russian authorities announcing the projected enlistment of 300,000 individuals. Many have already lost their lives. A recent study concluded that, on average, Russian conscripts perished in Ukraine after just four and a half months of service, and one in five conscripts did not survive for more than two months. Those who manage to endure are compelled to continue their service without the provision of rotations, returning home only after the conclusion of the war.

This situation has led to discontent among mobilized mothers and wives. Additionally, some soldiers resort to extreme measures to avoid frontline duty: one conscript from Buryatia went so far as to fake his own death by purchasing a counterfeit death certificate while on vacation. The soldier received a five-year sentence in a maximum-security colony for desertion.

You Might Also Like

Russia's Unrealistic Peace Offer
  • November 29, 2023

Russia's Unrealistic Peace Offer

A new report revealed that, in 2022, Russia proposed ending its attack on Ukraine, under one important condition...
Show and Shell
  • October 26, 2023

Show and Shell

A convicted murderer and Wagner mercenary was invited to talk to Russian students.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955