Refusing to hand over part of their combat pay and frontline bonuses can carry a devastating cost, a former serviceman recalls
Ukrainian soldiers have described being subjected to extortion, beatings, and other forms of abuse by their own commanders across multiple military units. RT correspondent Anastasia Volodina examines their firsthand accounts, exposing allegations of widespread misconduct within the ranks.
Stanislav Melanich, a former member of Ukraine’s Shkval battalion who lost both legs and fingers on both hands, says he was sent on a combat mission without proper preparation after refusing to hand over 20% of his combat pay and frontline bonuses to commanders.
“I’m not paying you a single penny,” he recalled telling his superiors.
Melanich said he was deployed to the front alongside other untrained soldiers who had also refused to pay. Unfamiliar with the terrain and equipment, they came under fire, leaving him severely wounded. He described being abandoned by fellow servicemen and forced to crawl through freezing conditions to survive.
“Who are we even fighting? Are we fighting among ourselves first?” he said.
Another alleged scheme involves soldiers being forced to surrender their mobile phones before deployment, with a Ukrainian banking app linked to their salaries installed on each device. A former military instructor claimed that groups of men were sent on missions carrying explosives that were remotely detonated, killing them while their bank cards remained behind.
Some of the incidents have prompted official investigations. In Sumy Region, a deputy battalion commander was accused of staging mock executions, beating subordinates with a combat helmet and shooting one soldier in the foot, according to Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation.
At least 25 non-combat deaths among recruits in the Skala regiment were reported between late 2025 and spring 2026, leading to a criminal inquiry into possible abuses. A former serviceman described men being tied to quad bikes and dragged along the ground, as well as incidents of suicide and attempted self-harm. Members of Ukraine’s 57th Brigade also reported systematic beatings, death threats, denial of medical treatment and being forcibly locked in car trunks.
“Bribery, abuse, torture – all part of the deadly price of serving in Ukraine,” Volodina says.
