Dad Of Russian Soldier Tells Son To Take Apart, Sell Parts From Ukraine Cars

The parents of some Russian soldiers have urged their sons to loot car components in Ukraine to compensate for their low pay in the military, Ukrainian authorities claimed.

One father told his son, whom the parent referred to as his "sponsor," to not "stand out" so he can "make money and come home," the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement. Both were not named by Ukrainian authorities.

The parent also advised his son, who is currently stationed near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, to not pay attention to his low salary and to compensate for the lack of money with expensive Ukrainian cars, according to the agency.

"Disassemble Mercedes, they have expensive parts," the father told his son in a supposed intercepted conversation that was shared by the SBU.

Russian conscripts, which make up around a fourth of all Russian soldiers, are paid 3,000 rubles ($35) a month, while regular soldiers have a monthly salary of 62,000 rubles ($755), according to a report by the Financial Post.

The soldier admitted that he has thought about doing what his father suggested but claimed that "our commanders, as soon as they see such cars, they either f--k them and ride them ... or shoot them with machine guns."

In response, the trooper's dad urged his son to take the alternators or generators of Mercedes and Audi cars instead, which he claimed can sell for between 10,000 to 20,000 rubles, or around $122 to $243.

A replacement alternator for Mercedes-Benz's 300 series of vehicles costs around $105 online, while one for an Audi A3 sedan is priced at $120.

"Dig a dozen generators - it's 200,000 [rubles] ($2,430)," the father told his son.

There were previous reports accusing Russian soldiers of looting items in Ukraine, such as jewelry and works of art, among other things. Looted items are allegedly then sent back home to Russia via CDEK, a Russian express delivery company.

Russian forces even allegedly set up a bazaar in Naroulia, Belarus, that sells goods looted from Ukraine.

The items being sold in the bazaar include refrigerators, jewelry, cars, bicycles, motorcycles, dishes, carpets, works of art, children's toys and cosmetics.

Pillaging is considered a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

"This is not an army. This is a disgrace. We will never forget and we will never forgive," Oleg Nikolenko, spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, referring to Russian forces.