Men kidnapped and sent to war: Secret criminal network exposed in Yekaterinburg

A criminal group that deceived, kidnapped, and forcibly sent people to military operations in Ukraine has been exposed in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. The members of this network made a "source of income" out of seizing the one-time payments allocated by the Russian Ministry of Defense to soldiers, as well as the millions of rubles in compensation paid for those killed in action.

The trial of the seven defendants, who were arrested in a joint operation by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB, has officially begun.

How were the victims chosen and what traps were set for them?

The criminals relied on a very meticulous and ruthless strategy in selecting their victims:

• Targeting the vulnerable: The group mainly targeted vulnerable men who were facing financial difficulties, had no permanent job or income, or were homeless or suffering from alcoholism, and who would not be missed by their relatives;

• The deception of temporary shelter: They were initially promised assistance, free housing, and hot meals;

• Beatings and forced contracts: Once the victims were trapped, physical force, beatings, and psychological threats were used against them. As a result, the men were forced to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Millions of rubles and a scheme of fake marriages

The main goal of the criminal organization was to fully misappropriate the large sums of money provided by the state to soldiers heading to the front:

• Access to bank accounts: Group members opened bank cards in the victims' names and arranged notarized powers of attorney to manage the accounts. Through this, all withdrawals and monthly salaries went directly into the criminals' pockets;

• Fictitious marriages for compensation: Women in the group also entered into fake marriages with the victims to receive large-scale insurance and compensation payments (as legal heirs) in the event that the soldier was injured or killed at the front.

Criminal network activity in numbers

Trial and the inevitability of punishment

The court case was opened based on documents, bank cards, and victim testimonies obtained during searches. The members of the organized group have been charged with kidnapping, unlawful deprivation of liberty, and extortion on an especially large scale, and they face long prison sentences.