Sakhalin soldiers kill comrade to steal war payout

On Sakhalin, a war participant killed a comrade and cut off his finger to unlock a phone and steal payments. A military court sentenced war participant Vladimir Kabakov from Ukraine to 19 years in a colony for the murder of a comrade and robbery, according to Medzona.

Consensus

The murder took place in summer 2025 on Sakhalin.
Viktor Vasilev, a 34-year-old war participant, was drugged and died as a result.
His finger was amputated to unlock his phone using fingerprint recognition.
The perpetrators attempted to withdraw money from his account but only succeeded in withdrawing 350,000 rubles.
The victim's wife transferred the remaining funds to her own account.
The body was buried on the shore of the Okhotsk Sea.
Vladimir Kabakov was sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment in a strict-regime colony.
Dmitry Mazur was acquitted by a jury and granted rehabilitation rights.
The cases of Alexei Bortnikov and Nikolai Barkovsky were suspended because they returned to the war zone.
The prosecution and victims have appealed the acquittal of Mazur.
The accused were all military personnel.
The crime was motivated by a desire for 'easy money'.

Points of divergence

The lawyer representing the victim's side believes the verdict against Mazur will be overturned on appeal because the court incorrectly assessed his role in the crime. — tg_radiosvoboda
The lawyer representing the victim's side believes the verdict Against Mazur will be overturned on appeal because the Court incorrectly assessed his role in the crime. — tg_sibrealii
The victim's wife managed to transfer the remaining funds to her account before the theft was completed. — tg_echoonline_news
The victim's wife noticed the withdrawals and transferred the remaining funds to her account. — mediazona
The investigation revealed that the accused had debts, which contributed to their motive. — mediazona

Coverage (4 sources)

On Sakhalin, war participants killed a comrade and cut off his finger to unlock a phone and steal benefits — Радио Свобода
On Sakhalin, war participants killed a comrade and cut off his finger to unlock a phone and steal benefits — Сибирь.Реалии
Finger cut off from soldier killed on Sakhalin to unlock phone and deny injury payment — "Mediazone" — ЭХО / Новости
Participants of the war with Sakhalin poisoned a soldier and cut off his finger to unlock a phone and access combat payments — Медиазона

Sakhalin soldiers kill comrade to steal war payout

Consensus

Points of divergence

Coverage (4 sources)

Key entities

More on Viktor Vasilyev

More on Dmitry Mazur