Russian troops pay commanders each month to stay away from front – Atesh

According to Ukrinform, the Atesh partisan movement reported this on Telegram.

An Atesh agent from the 247th Air Assault Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces said that a group of servicemen has been formed within the unit who hand over 50,000 rubles in cash to the commander every month.

In return, they are not sent to the front line, are kept at headquarters or assigned to fictitious internal duties, while documents still mark them as being "on combat duty." In this way, they receive the full range of payments, statuses, and bonuses, even though they are never actually at the front.

For those who do not pay, the situation is the opposite: they are sent into assault operations regardless of their condition – with injuries, after concussions, without rest and without rotations. Commanders say bluntly: "You paid – you stay. You didn't pay – you fight." Against the backdrop of heavy losses, this is perceived as buying the right not to die, Atesh said.

"Inside the unit, this is no longer hidden. The 'special ones' are immediately noticeable: they sleep indoors, eat separately, their names appear on combat rosters even though no one has ever seen them at positions. This deception fuels hatred and alienation, destroys discipline, and completely kills trust in the command. People risk their lives, while at the same time someone else simply pays and lives calmly," Atesh said.