Russian Court Recognizes Fragging of Military Personnel as Regular Wartime Practice

A Russian military court recognized fragging — the killing of Russian servicemen by their own comrades — as a regular practice in the war against Ukraine, the Agentstvo publication reported.

The case concerns the activities of a criminal group that included servicemen from the 272nd Motor Rifle Regiment.

According to investigators, the servicemen extorted money from their comrades in exchange for being allowed to avoid assaults, receive medical treatment, or take leave. Those who refused to pay were beaten, and some were killed.

On August 12, the Moscow-based 235th Garrison Military Court began hearing the case of Pavel Gudochkin, a former serviceman of the 272nd Regiment and a junior lieutenant with the call sign ‘Boyets.’

He is facing 46 charges, including murder, abuse of authority involving violence, bribery on a particularly large scale, extortion, and weapons theft.

According to investigators, Gudochkin and his fellow servicemen Gennady Kozakov, Vitaliy Kozlov, Oleksandr Tonilin, and Oleksandr Ovcharov formed a criminal group within the regiment’s assault units.

Kozakov played the leading role in the group. He is accused in 62 episodes, while Gudochkin was one of its direct perpetrators.

All five defendants pleaded guilty and testified against one another. Kozakov and Ovcharov have already been sentenced.

The publication notes that Russian courts had previously handed down sentences for individual cases of fragging and mass reprisals against servicemen.

However, the current case is the first known instance in which fragging has been treated as a regular practice within a military unit.

Previously, Russia formed a new unit from Ukrainian prisoners of war, which constitutes a direct violation of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.