Russian Army Officials Accept $1,000 Bribes In Exchange For Soldiers' Vacations: Ukraine Intel

Russian army officials have begun accepting bribes from soldiers in exchange for allowing them to go on short-term vacations amid the war in Ukraine, according to an intelligence report.

The vacations are being offered by Russian officers to privates and sergeants for $1,000, per a Sunday report by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (UAF). It is unclear when or where the bribes are occurring and how the vacations happen.

"Officers of the Russian occupation forces [are] using their official position for their own enrichment – privates and sergeants are offered short-term vacations for a $1,000 bribe," the report wrote.

In addition to the bribes, the UAF General Staff also noted that relatives of mobilized soldiers are raising complaints against Russia's Ministry of Defense over violations of the servicemen's rights. Some of the issues raised include lack of vacations for more than half a year and poor nutrition and sanitary conditions. The UAF General Staff noted that the defense ministry has yet to respond to the appeals.

The intelligence report comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine is set to mark its first anniversary on Friday. Through the nearly 12-month war, Russia has lost about 142,860 military personnel, including 590 soldiers killed over the past day, according to estimates from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

It is unclear how many losses Kyiv's army suffered in the war. However, casualties among Ukrainian civilians have risen to 18,955 as of Feb. 12, as recorded by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The figures include 7,199 deaths and 11,756 injuries.

Despite the casualties, Ukrainian forces have successfully repelled Russian attacks in 12 settlements on Saturday, specifically in the areas of Hrianykivka and Masiutivka in Kharkiv Oblast; Bilohorivka, Chervonopopivka and Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast; and Vyimka, Fedorivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Berkhivka, Bakhmut, Ivanivske and Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast.

The Russian army also launched air and missile strikes targeting Khmelnytskyi, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Kherson Oblasts. The shelling killed three people and wounded five in the Kherson region. The three people killed were a mother, father and uncle whose house was struck in the attack, the region's military administration said in a Telegram post, as translated via Google Translate.