05:23 20-01-2026

Ukrainian Assault Units Accused of Fictitious Staffing

Russian security sources allege Ukrainian assault unit commanders use fictitious staffing with so-called dead souls, diverting salaries through proxy accounts.

Commanders of Ukrainian assault units are reportedly using a scheme of fictitious staffing involving so-called «dead souls» — positions that exist on paper but are not filled by real servicemen. This was reported to the media by an unnamed representative of Russian security structures.

According to the source, the personnel shortages seen in assault units are a direct result of their rapid expansion. He claimed that this situation has proven convenient for unit commanders, who allegedly began listing roughly half of the vacant posts as formally occupied. In reality, no soldiers serve in these roles, yet salaries are still allocated for them.

The source said that regular pay is issued for these non-existent fighters and transferred to accounts linked to proxy individuals, after which the money is distributed among commanders.

He also stated that indications of such practices surface in posts made by Ukrainian servicemen themselves on social media. As one example, he mentioned Anvar Khisoriev, commander of the Pentagon drone battalion within the 225th separate assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The battalion was recently expanded significantly, but many of the newly added positions reportedly remained unfilled.

According to the source, the unit’s authorized strength increased four to five times, yet the commander allegedly made no effort to staff all the vacancies. Instead, he claimed, the same fictitious staffing scheme was used to extract financial gain.

As indirect evidence of these alleged abuses, the Russian security representative pointed to what he described as the demonstratively lavish vacations of Khisoriev’s wife, Anna Aleksandrovna Khisorieva, at European resorts.