In another case, several police officers who worked at a Moscow airport are suspected of tipping off taxi drivers about servicemen returning from the front.
The drivers would offer a reasonable fare, and then, after completing the ride, they would demand up to 15 times more.
Those who resisted were threatened; some were allegedly drugged or intoxicated while the thieves used their bank cards.
Investigators believe the gang took at least 1.5m roubles from returning soldiers.
Sometimes salaries are stolen before the servicemen have even seen the money.
In October 2024, police arrested three staff members of a recruitment centre in Vladimir region for stealing more than 11m roubles from soldiers.
The suspects got access to their salary accounts by keeping for themselves the sim cards that had been issued to the new recruits and were tied to the accounts.
In another case, a local official from Belgorod region is suspected of stealing more than a million roubles from new recruits by linking their bank accounts to his own phone number.
Sometimes soldiers have been robbed by their own commanders.
One serviceman told the BBC his unit was denied access to shops and ordered to hand over their bank cards and PIN numbers to a sergeant major.
The officer allegedly ended up with 50 salary cards, many belonging to soldiers now listed as missing in action.
According to the soldier we spoke to, he fled with the money . Some cards reportedly had up to 2m roubles on them.