Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at least 20 civilians have died and another 32 have been injured in the Belgorod region due to accidents caused by the military, according to the publication «Vot Tak»*. Drivers in uniform were most often fined 2,500 rubles or given suspended sentences, even in cases where the accident resulted in fatalities. In one accident, a soldier in a truck crushed a car with a woman and her 12-year-old daughter inside, and the investigation recognized him as a witness.
In almost every case, the military were found to be at fault for the accidents. According to collected data, they often ignored traffic rules: running red lights, not maintaining distance, overtaking in oncoming lanes, or not yielding to civilian vehicles. In two accidents, according to the publication, drunk tank operators were involved. Both of these accidents occurred in the summer of 2024. In June, between the villages of Krasivo and Golovchino, a tank rammed a car, resulting in the death of 32-year-old driver Andrey Alekseev; in July, in the village of Berezovka, a tank ran over a car with pensioner Konstantin Lopatkin. As reported by the local channel «Pepel», witnesses claimed that the crew members were heavily intoxicated and behaved inappropriately. Nevertheless, none of the military participants in the fatal accidents were sentenced to actual imprisonment.
Several fatal accidents occurred because military vehicles were not illuminated with marker lights in the dark. On October 28, 2022, in the Shebekino area, a «Gazelle» with sawmill workers crashed into a military tanker truck parked on a dark road without any identification marks. Eight people died. A similar situation occurred in March 2025: on the Alekseevka — Nikitovka road, a car with passengers crashed into an unlit army trailer. Only the driver survived — his mother and cousin died.
Participation in combat operations was mostly considered by the courts as a mitigating circumstance. In three cases with severe consequences, the military received only fines — from 30,000 to 100,000 rubles. Senior Sergeant Igor Yaroshenko, whose actions led to the deaths of two people, received a two-year suspended sentence.
In 18 cases where civilians sustained minor or moderate injuries, the cases were considered under an administrative article of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which resulted in fines ranging from 2,500 to 15,000 rubles. Only in two accidents were the victims able to obtain compensation from the Ministry of Defense — in both cases, the ministry paid 500,000 rubles to each victim.
«Vot Tak» notes that the count of accidents was based on media reports and the database of the Kursk Garrison Military Court, where cases involving military personnel are considered. Additionally, the statistics included only those court decisions on incidents where judicial acts are open (where one can read how exactly the accident occurred and who was affected), which is far from all the cases in the database. Therefore, the number of cases and victims of military-related accidents may be significantly higher.
* Recognized as a «foreign agent» in Russia.
Photo: Pepel