Russia: Mother kidnaps daughter to claim war death benefit

A 43-year-old woman in the Republic of Bashkortostan allegedly kidnapped her 18-year-old daughter to seize a military death benefit. According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the motive was a payout of up to three million rubles (approximately 33,000 euros) awarded to the survivors of soldiers killed during the war in Ukraine.

Because the victim's parents were divorced, the mother had no legal claim to the funds, which the daughter had recently received following her father's death. Investigators state that the mother and an accomplice ambushed the student in a park in Sterlitamak, forced her into a vehicle, and transported her to a remote village roughly 100 kilometers away.

The victim was held captive in a house for over a week until she discovered a telephone and managed to alert the police. Law enforcement officials arrived at the scene, rescued the young woman, and arrested both suspects.