Russian President Vladimir Putin had promised soldiers returning from the war in Ukraine a hero’s welcome and financial security. However, a BBC investigation has revealed that many servicemen have instead become victims of theft, scams, and exploitation often by the very officials meant to protect them.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has expanded the army threefold, using lucrative financial incentives to attract recruits. New soldiers can earn up to 5.2 million roubles (£47,000) annually, with additional payouts for injuries amounts that dwarf the average Russian salary. For many, especially from impoverished regions, the promise of money outweighs the peril of war.
One such soldier, Nikita Khursa, a 39-year-old welder from Rostov, was wounded after a short stint on the front in 2024. His injury earned him a significant bonus, which he and his wife planned to use to buy a home. But after an argument one night, Khursa drunkenly left with their cash savings, only to be stopped by police. Despite revealing he had returned from the war, the officers took 2.66 million roubles from him. Though reported, the case never reached court; the officers instead avoided prosecution by joining the army.
Khursa’s case is not isolated. Returning soldiers have been drugged and defrauded by airport taxi gangs, tipped off by corrupt police. Some never see their salaries stolen by recruitment officers who hijack their bank-linked SIM cards or by local officials rerouting pay to their own accounts. Even commanding officers have robbed troops by seizing salary cards under the guise of discipline.
In one egregious case, a sergeant major amassed 50 bank cards, some belonging to soldiers missing in action, with individual balances of up to 2 million roubles.
Khursa, now in a hospital near St. Petersburg with shrapnel near his heart, has lost both his savings and his marriage. With no civilian prospects, he awaits a medical decision on whether he must return to the front.
“If I’m not here, I’ll end up on the street,” he says. “Only the army saves you, puts a roof over your head.”
