"How to Make Money Without Killing People"... Why Russian Troops Are Selling Weapons to Ukraine

On the 13th (local time), Ukrainian troops waved their hands while riding a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle in the recently recaptured northeastern Kharkiv region.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] "Please transfer the payment to this account after confirming the condition of the item."

It seems like a typical secondhand transaction commonly seen in South Korea. However, this is related to the war situation that began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Recently, as the war has prolonged, some Russian soldiers deployed on the battlefield have started selling weapons and equipment to the Ukrainian military in this manner.

According to the Ukrainian military specialized media Defense Express on the 23rd (local time), Russian soldiers have recently begun selling weapons such as tanks and self-propelled artillery to the Ukrainian military via Telegram.

The transaction method is as follows. First, a Russian soldier who expresses the intention to sell weapons on a Telegram channel leaves the equipment or weapons near the Ukrainian front line and then provides the location and the account number to receive payment. Afterwards, the Ukrainian military collects the items, checks their condition, and transfers the payment to the provided account.

All transactions are conducted anonymously. The Ukrainian military posted a notice on Telegram persuading Russian soldiers to sell weapons, emphasizing that "the information of soldiers cooperating with Ukraine will be kept strictly confidential." The notice reportedly includes content such as "It is possible to earn money without killing people."

The traded items vary from tanks to self-propelled artillery and armored vehicles. According to the media, tanks were sold for $50,000 (approximately 70 million KRW), IFV anti-aircraft vehicles for $25,000 (approximately 35.575 million KRW). Additionally, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and self-propelled artillery were traded for $15,000 (approximately 21.345 million KRW) and $10,000 (approximately 14.23 million KRW), respectively. Armored vehicles were priced around $5,000 (approximately 7.11 million KRW).

In fact, Vitalii Kim, governor of Ukraine's Mykolaiv region, posted a related video on his social media, stating that he purchased an armored vehicle from a Russian soldier for $5,000 through such a transaction.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on the 21st that he would issue a partial mobilization order for reservists to protect Russia's sovereignty and territory. Accordingly, about 300,000 out of the total 2.5 million reservists are expected to be drafted.

Furthermore, Russia is planning to increase next year's defense spending by more than 40% compared to the previous budget. According to Bloomberg on the 23rd, Russia intends to spend 5 trillion rubles (approximately 119 trillion KRW) on defense next year. This is an increase of over 43% compared to the initial budget proposal.