The Main Military Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee completed the investigation of criminal cases on fraud with injuries and state awards in the 83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade, which were initiated against Colonel Artem Gorodilov and Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Frolov with the call sign «Executioner», reported «Kommersant» citing sources.
According to the newspaper, the case was initiated after the testimony of one of the brigade's servicemen, and Gorodilov and Frolov admitted guilt and testified against their fellow servicemen. As a result, investigators identified 35 participants in the fraud among the brigade's soldiers and officers, all of whom became defendants in the case.
According to the investigation, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, servicemen of the 83rd brigade illegally received more than 200 million rubles from the budget, as well as benefits, leaves, and state awards.
During the war, Frolov claimed to have received four combat injuries, but an examination established that the lieutenant colonel was injured «not in a combat situation». The military man himself reported that in order to receive payments of 3 million rubles, he was shot at his own request by fellow servicemen, who aimed so as not to hit vital organs.
The investigation also believes that Frolov was illegally awarded four Orders of Courage and two Medals «For Valor». In addition, the security forces called the stories about the lieutenant colonel that appeared in the federal media «fakes». The information that Frolov, being the father of three daughters, adopted a girl rescued from under fire and was the commander of «the most effective sniper group» did not «correspond to reality». At the same time, the media that released the «fakes», including «Channel One», were not affected.
Frolov's arrest became known in August 2024. Before that, a court in Moscow sent his commander Gorodilov to a pre-trial detention center. Both are charged with fraud on an especially large scale, and Frolov also with bribery, illegal arms trafficking, and explosive devices. According to «Kommersant», the last two charges are related to caches found in the LPR, where the «Executioner» stored three trophy pistols, a machine gun, cartridges, mines, and grenades.