Russian soldiers fake injuries in an elaborate scheme to claim more than €2 million in state compensation, according to a recent investigation. At least 35 members of the elite 83rd Air Assault Brigade allegedly shot each other in non-lethal areas to qualify for battlefield injury payments.
Authorities reported that the servicemen staged the injuries while deployed on the Ukrainian front. Investigators say the soldiers aimed to receive up to 3 million roubles each, approximately €32,000, in compensation intended for genuinely wounded combatants.
The main suspects, Colonel Artem Gorodilov and Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Frolov, confessed to their involvement and signed cooperation agreements with investigators, according to Kommersant. The scheme came to light after a brigade member testified at a military investigative unit in St Petersburg and was identified as a key witness.
Investigators detailed that participants deliberately avoided vital organs while shooting one another. Frolov reportedly admitted he orchestrated the plan and instructed soldiers to target only non-lethal areas. The accused officers were arrested between June and July 2024 and face charges of large-scale fraud. Frolov also faces charges of bribery and illegal possession of weapons.
The 83rd Air Assault Brigade has been heavily involved in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and received the Order of Suvorov in July 2023, a state honor for distinguished military service. Frolov previously appeared in Russian state media as a decorated sniper unit commander. A Channel One segment in February 2024 described him as “one of the most effective snipers in the special military operation zone,” claiming he had been wounded seven times in combat, adopted a child from rubble, and returned to the front despite refusing post-service rehabilitation. Investigators later found that these claims were false.
Colonel Gorodilov commanded a regiment linked to alleged war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine, in spring 2022. His unit is suspected of killing civilians during the Russian occupation. Gorodilov is currently on the United States sanctions list and suspected of extrajudicial executions. These revelations raise serious questions about previous claims of heroism for both officers and highlight flaws in military verification processes for combat-related injury compensation.
The total financial damage to the Russian state exceeds 200 million roubles, roughly €2.1 million. This case exposes both the scale of internal fraud and the difficulty of verifying battlefield claims within elite military units.
