One Russian soldier was reportedly shot dead when disputes arose with his comrades over selling a captured thermal imager, according to the Atesh partisan movement.
Atesh, in a Saturday update, said the dispute took place between three soldiers from Russia’s 33rd Separate Motorized Rifle Regiment, in the Kirovsky District of Donetsk. The date of the alleged incident is unclear.
The group said the three soldiers were drinking at a local bar when the dispute arose, as they couldn’t agree on how much they’d sell the “standard thermal imaging camera” captured from the front.
“The argument continued outside the bar, where the shooting erupted. One soldier was killed at the scene,” Atesh wrote.
Such cameras are highly valued by frontline troops as they allow forces to detect enemy movement and targets in darkness and poor visibility, giving a critical battlefield advantage.
Thermal imagers sold by Ukrainian military gear shops typically range from about $1,000 to several thousand dollars.
According to Atesh, the Russian military is attempting a coverup of the incident by portraying it as “careless handling of a weapon.”
“Command is trying to limit access to information and prevent the news from spreading beyond the unit,” Atesh wrote.
Atesh has been actively operating against Moscow, both in occupied Ukraine and inside Russia. In December, an Atesh agent told Kyiv Post that the group had infiltrated the Russian military throughout 2025, with agents embedded across various military formations.
The group’s agents have routinely spied on Russian bases and documented discontent among Russian troops.
However, Kyiv Post cannot independently verify the authenticity of the latest report.