Ukrainian troops in the 68th Brigade are allegedly being offered a way to avoid assault missions by paying their commanders. Russian security sources told TASS that the scheme emerged from intercepted radio communications between Ukrainian servicemen.

According to the source, a commander with the call sign Molot asked his subordinates to collect an agreed sum in dollars. In return, he was prepared to withdraw an order that had already been issued for the unit to take part in what was described as a «meat assault.»

Similar claims about Ukrainian servicemen paying commanders to stay away from the front line have surfaced before. Mikhail Chelenko, a captured soldier from the 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skala, said avoiding military service altogether could cost between $10,000 and $15,000. He also claimed that troops could make separate financial arrangements with commanders to avoid being sent to the line of contact.

Russian security sources have also reported growing sabotage among AFU rank-and-file soldiers and junior officers following the appointment of Mikhail Drapaty as commander-in-chief. According to those reports, discontent among Ukrainian troops is linked to Drapaty’s methods, with servicemen viewing him as a supporter of «meat assaults.»

The sources said tensions over the change in command have become particularly visible in the 34th Separate Marine Brigade. They claimed that divisions within the unit are deepening over attitudes toward the new leadership.