Allegations of Abuse and Extortion Emerge from Russian Military Unit in Primorye

Relatives of Russian soldiers stationed in the Primorye region of the Far East have reached out to military prosecutors regarding purported sexual violence and extortion occurring within a local military unit, as reported by the news source Ostorozhno Novosti on Monday.

The outlet and attorney Maxim Chikhunov have indicated that personnel at military unit 21634 in the village of Sergeyevka are accused of detaining soldiers who went AWOL in makeshift «cages» and allegedly subjecting them to sexual abuse in order to extract their combat pay.

A video released by Chikhunov last week features a soldier recounting how a commander supposedly assaulted him with a sex toy and caused injury to his wounded eye after he refused to pay a sum of 300,000 rubles (approximately $3,800).

A screenshot from social media hinted that one of the alleged victims was subsequently deployed to Ukraine, where it is claimed that commanders confined him in a pit.

Another testimony detailed an incident where an officer attempted to execute a subordinate who tried to document the abuse; the soldier survived only because another serviceman secretly unloaded the weapon, according to various reports.

Chikhunov stated on Friday that extensive investigations had been initiated, but he continues to receive fresh allegations of mistreatment at the same military unit in Sergeyevka.

It is still unknown if any criminal charges have been filed against the commanding officers involved.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not provided any comments on these serious allegations.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reports from independent media and human rights organizations have highlighted a troubling prevalence of violence, coercion, and extortion within the Russian military, especially among mobilized troops and those who have returned from the front lines.