Russian Soldiers Get Salaries Through Bank To Whose Accounts Europe Remits Gas Payments

No sanctions have yet been imposed against it.

The Russian Defence Ministry transfers soldiers' salaries and "combat extras" for the war in Ukraine through Gazprombank.

As noted in an investigation by the "Schemes" project of Radio Svoboda's Ukrainian service, Gazprombank is the only large Russian bank which has not been sanctioned so far, as payments for gas and oil from European Union countries are flowing into its accounts.

"Gazprombank is not really a bank, it is, conventionally, a bag where everyone puts their money and pays Russia for energy resources. If there is no trade, there is no money in this bag," said Tatiana Shevchuk, a lawyer with the NGO Anti-Corruption Centre.

The West has only imposed sectoral sanctions against this bank, which did not affect its operational activities.

"Allegedly, Gazprombank cannot receive any loans from foreign banks. But let's be honest: a bank that makes billions of dollars in revenues every month from oil and gas trading does not require any particular borrowing. It is the financier of various projects itself," Tatiana Shevchuk explained.

Journalists of the Schemes project found servicemen from different Russian military units who receive money from Gazprombank for participating in combat operations in Ukraine and proved the system of cooperation between this financial institution and the Russian army command.