On June 24, 2025, a scandal erupted in the Moscow region after volunteers collecting humanitarian aid for participants in a special military operation (SVO) discovered a theft from a collection box installed in one of the shopping centers. Over the past two months, volunteers noticed that the basket with humanitarian aid was rapidly emptying even before the cargo was sent to the front. Thanks to CCTV footage, it was possible to establish that migrants were involved in the thefts, who shamelessly took things, put them in bags and left the scene of the crime.

The video, published on social networks, shows two women, presumably migrants, approaching a basket installed in a shopping center with a child and starting to put things into their bags. The actions took place openly, without any attempt to hide, which caused particular indignation among volunteers and local residents.

“We collected warm clothes, food, hygiene products for our guys, and they just took it as their own,” — complained one of the organizers of the gathering.

Volunteers noted that similar incidents occurred repeatedly, which prompted them to install cameras to identify the culprits.

The humanitarian aid intended for the SVO fighters included essential items: warm clothing, non-perishable food, shaving kits and medicines. Such collections are regularly organized throughout Russia as part of the “We Don’t Abandon Our Own” campaign, supported by the “People’s Front” movement and volunteer organizations. For example, in Crimea and Dagestan, volunteers recently donated cars, generators and camouflage nets to the fighters. In Moscow, entrepreneurs and notaries actively participate in collecting aid, delivering supplies to hospitals and the front lines. However, thefts like the one that occurred in the Moscow region undermine trust in the aid collection system and cause public outcry.