1/ The Russian Minister of Defence, Andrey Belousov, is reported to...
ChrisO_wiki@ChrisO_wiki
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Nov 08, 2025
~2 min read
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1/ The Russian Minister of Defence, Andrey Belousov, is reported to have ordered a crackdown on corruption in the Russian armed forces. In particular, the widespread practices by commanders of extortion and murder ("zeroing out") are coming under scrutiny. ⬇️
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2/ According to a private post to subscribers of the Razvedchik Telegram channel:
"Belousov instructed [Chief of the General Staff] Gerasimov to purge the army of banditry among commanders this winter, a high-ranking military official at the Ministry of Defence reported."
"Belousov instructed [Chief of the General Staff] Gerasimov to purge the army of banditry among commanders this winter, a high-ranking military official at the Ministry of Defence reported."
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3/ "The head of the ministry demanded the urgent creation of commissions to investigate cases of extortion and so-called "zeroing out"—when soldiers are sent to certain death.
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4/ "Inspections will soon begin in those units where complaints of non-payment and missing property have been recorded. The commission will include representatives from the FSB, the military prosecutor's office, and Gerasimov's headquarters.
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5/ "They have been instructed to personally report to Belousov on each inspection of a given troop group.
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6/ "Sources note that the head of the Ministry of Defence has threatened dismissals and criminal prosecution for attempts to cover up fraud or conceal information on bonuses and allowances.
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7/ "According to sources, Belousov bluntly stated that combat operations were gradually slowing and it was time to restore order.
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8/ "He demanded that the military chain of command be cleansed of schemes where dishonest commanders were profiting from soldiers, and that discipline be restored. Inspections will begin as early as December, targeting all commanders against whom soldiers had complained."
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9/ Reports of extortion and murder in the Russian army have been extremely widespread and frequent over the past year, with beatings, torture and extrajudicial killings reported from many different units. Very few commanders have been disciplined over such reports.
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10/ Soldiers have filmed numerous incidents of abuse, and complaints of maltreatment are one of the commonest themes – appearing literally daily – in videos recorded by soldiers and their relatives.
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11/ There has also been an increasing trend of pre-murder videos being recorded, in which soldiers send testimonies to their friends and relatives explaining why they are going to be killed imminently on the orders of the commander.
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12/ Russian warbloggers have often criticised such abuses. A recent survey by warblogger Alex Kartavykh found that distrust of the military authorities and widely publicised episodes of abuse of soldiers were major blockers for recruitment. /end
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Source:
t.me/ve4niyvoy/5399
t.me/ve4niyvoy/5399