By Sultan Musayev | 2026-01-20

When Aleksei Grigoriev, a 50-year-old contract soldier in the Russian army, received his signing bonus from the Defense Ministry, he likely did not expect to die at the hands of his own commanders.

According to relatives and media reports, officers killed Grigoriev after he refused to hand over his money. They later attempted to conceal the crime.

"They beat him for two whole days, all because of money. It was a political officer with the call sign Deputy," the online outlet Siberia.Realities quoted Grigoriev's wife as saying in December. "They beat him with a shovel and sticks, like a dog. He died on the second day."

Patriot's fatal decision

A relative named Irina described Grigoriev as a committed supporter of the war in Ukraine who volunteered for ideological reasons, not financial need. He earned a stable income at Mosvodokanal, a Moscow water utility, and lived with his wife in the capital.

Two of Grigoriev's friends were already fighting in Ukraine. From Moscow, he stayed in frequent contact with them and closely followed events at the front. Several times he prepared to leave, but his wife persuaded him to stay. In the summer of 2025, he made a final decision.

"I want to [go]. You don't abandon your own people," he told her.

Grigoriev traveled to Magadan to sign a contract because the region offered one of Russia's highest one-time enlistment payments -- 2.6 million RUB (about $33,000). He signed on July 6 and was sent to a military unit in Bikin, in Russia's Far East, near the Chinese border. By late July, he was deployed to Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

From there, he told relatives that commanders confiscated phones from rank-and-file soldiers and allowed calls only once a week.

In September, draft officials informed Grigoriev's family that he had died of congestive heart failure after losing consciousness while returning from duty. The family doubted the explanation and began their own inquiry.

That effort proved difficult. They contacted draft offices, the Defense Ministry, morgues, officers responsible for transporting bodies, and Grigoriev's unit. Each provided a different version: that he became ill on a plane, collapsed while running, went missing or died in a drone strike.

"They all told their own lies," Irina said.

Extortion and cover-up

Relatives eventually pieced together what they believe happened. According to their account, when Grigoriev arrived in Donetsk, a political officer demanded his bank card and PIN. When Grigoriev refused, commanders beat him repeatedly over two days until he died. They then tried to conceal the killing.

Media reports describe such killings as systemic within the Russian military. Commanders sometimes order soldiers to be "zeroed out" -- executed -- for alleged offenses such as retreating, going AWOL or disobeying orders. Robbery frequently plays a role. Officers seize money and then kill the soldier, referring to the death as "Cargo 200," military slang for a corpse.

Irina said officers often target new contract soldiers immediately after payments clear.

"I know how those people with stars think when they're around money: now I'll give you a thrashing, then throw you into the forest, who will find out, meanwhile I'll have almost 3 million in my pocket," she said.

Not all families manage to uncover what happened.

Maria Eroshkina of Almaty told Kontur that a relative of hers, a Russian citizen from Yekaterinburg, died in Ukraine about a month after deployment. In the spring, draft officials notified his wife of his death, but she never received the promised enlistment payment.

"It's total lawlessness and plundering there," Eroshkina said. "As if it weren't enough that the authorities send people to the meat grinder, they also plunder and kill their own soldiers."

Systemic violence

In November, the Telegram channel Don’t Wait for Good News published testimony from Vladimir Dulyaninov, a service member in the 6th Guards Tank Regiment. He described what he called routine extortion, embezzlement and violence by commanders.

"Threatening physical punishment, the regiment commanders demand that personnel hand over money 'for the unit's needs,'" Dulyaninov said.

He said officers forced soldiers to transfer money to personal bank cards, including one belonging to Lt. Ruslan Daudgadzhievich O., known by the call sign Dargin, without any accounting. Commanders also allegedly demanded soldiers' bank cards and PINs before combat missions, then sent them on missions they knew were likely fatal, without artillery or drone support.

"It's like they've carted everyone off to nullification. . . . These are young guys . . . [dying] one after the other. It's [a nightmare]," Dulyaninov said.

Other schemes have also emerged.

In late November, Don't Wait for Good News quoted a soldier from the 12th Guards Tank Regiment, identified as Mikhail, call sign Cross. He said commanders used force to seize soldiers' bank cards and personal documents, including passports and military IDs. Fighters then disappeared, while loans were taken out in their names.

Dulyaninov said commanders labeled undesirable soldiers for execution. According to him, an officer with the call sign Twilight issued such orders, which another soldier, Rabbit, carried out.

Families have appealed to authorities, including the Defense Ministry and the president, seeking investigations and tighter oversight. They say officials routinely ignore their complaints.

Valentina Chupik, head of the human rights organization Tong Jahoni, told Kontur that law enforcement agencies prioritize targeting migrant workers and designated "foreign agents" over investigating violent crimes within the military.

"The Russian state has long undervalued both human rights and human life, and now we're seeing that primitive banditry has become the norm," Chupik said.