The suspected fraud was unearthed by Russia’s Investigative Committee while probing a decorated officer, Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Frolov, also known as ‘Executioner’.
Representative image (ANI)
Russian investigators have found that dozens of soldiers deliberately shot themselves in a bid to claim compensation meant for battlefield injuries.
The suspected fraud was unearthed by Russia’s Investigative Committee while probing a decorated officer, Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Frolov, also known as ‘Executioner’.
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Frolov was featured in a Russian defence ministry propaganda video wherein he talked about shrapnel wounds sustained on the battlefield.
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The committee, however, concluded that the injuries were fabricated, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
The investigation found that Frolov, along with a commander from the elite 83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade, masterminded the fraud scheme in which over 30 soldiers and medics took part. The troops involved in the fraud shot themselves to become eligible for payouts.
The Russian Army is reported to have suffered losses to the tune of 200 million rubles (approximately 2.6 million dollars) due to the suspected fraud.
A share of the payouts was diverted to the commanders as well.
The case has now reached military courts, with Frolov being put on trial for charges ranging from fraud and bribery to weapons trafficking.
Court filings show Frolov has pleaded guilty as part of a pretrial deal, in a bid to get a reduced sentence.
Frolov had last year told a US newspaper that while he had a role to play in the scheme to claim battlefield payouts, he rejected the allegations of self-inflicted injuries.
He instead spoke about manipulating record-keeping to claim the compensation. Frolov said soldiers of his unit claimed injuries were sustained in several incidents, which helped them receive more than one payout.
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