Russian prisoner of war claims he joined the army to pay off World of Tanks-related debt

There are a number of reasons why one would join the army, but this one certainly takes the cake. A video interview of a captured Russian soldier suggests that the man joined the army to pay off a World of Tanks-related debt. In the video, the soldier, who was captured by Ukrainian forces, claims that he had a criminal debt that was incurred when he paid for World of Tanks’ in-game currency with someone else’s credit card. 

The video, which was translated by Reddit user u/Specialist-Ideal-577, notes that before joinging the Russian army, the soldier had found a lost credit card. He then used the card to take out 5,000 Rubles (approx ₹6,380) to spend on  in-game purchases in World of Tanks. However, the police quickly caught him and charged him with bank fraud. While he had returned the money he spent, he was also charged with a 300,000 Ruble fine, which is approx. ₹3.8 lakh. 

The soldier was unable to pay the fine, and was given the option for a three-month deployment to Ukraine. Between the enlistment bonus and monthly salary, the soldier would be able to to pay off the debt. But now that he has been captured, there is no telling if he will be able to pay off the debt.

To be fair, he didn’t just use the lost credit card to spend on World of Tanks. He also admits to giving money to a female personality on TikTok. After analysing this behavior and correlating it with what I have seen other men online do. I have come to an extremely scientific conclusion that the soldier is what the experts call, a ‘simp’.

Regardless, here’s hoping that the soldier is treated well and gets to return home once all this is over. Maybe is captors would indulge his habit and play World of Tanks with him. After all, gaming is a great way to make friends and rise above the hate and rhetoic spewed by politicians. Lord knows we need that.

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Shrey Pacheco

Writer, gamer, and hater of public transport. View Full Profile