Overview
- Verstka says it identified 101 Russian servicemen accused of murdering, torturing or fatally punishing comrades, with at least 150 deaths verified.
- The report describes methods including designated execution shooters, drone-dropped grenades on retreating troops, torture pits, forced fights, and use of unarmed troops as beacons.
- Investigators detail extortion schemes in which commanders allegedly demand payments to avoid suicide missions, with nonpayers being 'zeroed.'
- The practice is reported to have moved beyond penal formations into regular units, with most alleged perpetrators mid‑ranking officers and few documented prosecutions.
- Verstka cites nearly 29,000 complaints to the military prosecutor in early 2025 and an informal ban on probing commanders in combat zones, as the Kremlin issues denials of systemic abuse.