One of Russia’s most highly decorated war heroes instructed his troops to intentionally shoot him sidelining him from the war in Ukraine, while earning a combat injury payout from the Kremlin, a damning Russian investigation has uncovered.
Lt. Col. Konstantin Frolov — who garnered the nickname the “Executioner” for his reputation as a highly skilled sniper — was identified as the mastermind behind the massive military scam where he instructed 35 officers and soldiers in strongman Vladimir Putin’s elite sniper unit, the prestigious 83rd Air Assault Brigade, to deliberately fire at him and each other, the probe recently concluded.
In return, the troops pocketed nearly $2.5 million in total from the Kremlin for their wounds, the investigation found.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg in exposing the embellished mystic behind Frolov’s military record — including the killing dozens of Ukrainian soldiers and claims that he had been injured on seven occasions during the war in Ukraine, independent Russian news outlets reported.
It turns out many of Frolov’s heroics — much like his notable war injuries — are completely bogus, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported.
The military leader had been featured prominently as a darling of state media, like when he appeared in a video shared by the Russian Defense Ministry last year to hail soldiers fighting in Putin’s more than three-year-old war in Ukraine.
“Since childhood, duty and honor have not been empty words for me,” Frolov claimed in the 2024 video. “I always wanted to be a military man, and I became one.”
“‘The Executioner’ is a sniper,” the official account for the Defense Ministry proudly wrote on Telegram. “He does not want to return home without a victory.”
In another televised segment, Frolov told a grandiose story about rescuing — and even adopting — a young girl wounded by Ukrainian shelling, a tale now believed to be pure fiction.
“I picked her up and carried her, and she said, ‘uncle, my savior, you’re bleeding’. I looked down, and saw that I was covered in blood,” the Executioner allegedly recalled on camera, according to the Times of London.
Frolov first came under fire last June, after a whistleblower reported the fake injury scam to Russian authorities, prompting the launch of the probe.
Soon after, Frolov confessed to asking his soldiers to fire at him — aiming away from his vital organs, the outlet said.
He also wasted no time throwing every single one of his men and co-conspirators under the bus in order to snag a plea deal with prosecutors, according to Russian media reports.
The Executioner asked to return to the battlefield, but was reportedly rebuffed by the Kremlin. The ex-officer now faces charges of large-scale fraud, bribery, illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition, and explosive devices.
The elaborate scheme was done to get payouts in the amount of 3 million rubles each, about $40,000 — and paid leave from the front lines.
The injuries also served as grounds for commanders to push for bravery and courage medals for the men.
Frolov was awarded four “Orders of Courage,” a top decoration recognizing selfless acts, and also honored with two medals for bravery and valor.
