Many Russian soldiers and civilians are willing to pay large sums of money to avoid being sent to the front in Ukraine. But amid mounting military losses and a shortage of new recruits, bribing your way out of the Russian army is getting increasingly difficult. On top of paying off doctors and commanders, some active duty soldiers resort to injuring themselves in the hopes of getting discharged. Military enlistment offices, meanwhile, have their own corruption schemes for those seeking to avoid conscription. Demand for evading army service has also given rise to a thriving black market, where draft dodgers can purchase forged documents, “fake surgeries,” and even get help fleeing the country — unless they fall prey to scammers or the security services, that is. Meduza special correspondent Lilia Yapparova investigates the price Russians are willing to pay to avoid going to war and how the authorities are cracking down in response.