Thirty soldiers and officers from the 83rd Russian brigade fighting in Ukraine reportedly opened fire on each other in order to receive bonuses and cash payments, Azernews reports via Russian magazine Kommersant.

The investigation into the criminal case against the servicemen has been completed and forwarded to court. A total of 30 servicemen are charged in the case of fake injuries, including Colonel Artyom Gorodilov and Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Frolov, who face accusations of fraud on a particularly large scale. In addition, Frolov has been charged with bribery and illegal trafficking in weapons, ammunition, and explosives.

Investigators state that the servicemen received compensation for“injuries and wounds” totaling more than 200 million rubles. Their commanders also wrote recommendations for awarding these soldiers with the Medal for Bravery and the Order of Courage, based on the fabricated injuries.

This case sheds light on alleged corruption and abuse within the Russian military ranks amid ongoing operations in Ukraine.

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