September 28, 2026

Sexual Harassment Scandal at the Recruitment Office


Sexual Harassment Scandal at the Recruitment Office
Russian soldier with binoculars. The Russian Life File.

On September 26, independent outlet Mediazona reported that a former employee of a military recruitment and enlistment office in St. Petersburg publicly denounced her colleague for sexually harassing her at their workplace. The man accused is a returning soldier from Russia's War on Ukraine.

Natalya Zemlyankina worked as an assistant to the head of the department for mobilization resources at the Moskovsky District military commissariat in St. Petersburg. Zemlyankina accused her colleague, Lieutenant Alexander Kucherov, of sexual harassment. The Lawyers Association of Russia published a video in which Zemlyankina detailed her allegations.

Zemlyankina said the problems began when Kucherov was hired at their office last year. According to Zemlyankina, the former soldier "constantly bothered [her] and showed aggression" and threatened to rape her with a friend whom he brought to the office. 

When Zemlyankina denounced Kucherov's behavior to her superior, Zemlyankina was told that she was a "nobody" and that the lieutenant was "the boss." Her bosses told her that because he had fought in the war in Ukraine, he could not be held criminally liable.

After denouncing Kucherov, Zemlyankina was transferred to a different branch of the draft office. She was forced to accept lower pay and a lower-ranking position and had to forfeit bonus payments. According to Mediazona, she sued the St. Petersburg military commissariat over conflicts of interest with the municipal civil services office.

In an interview with Astra, the lieutenant confirmed he knew Zemlyankina but denied the sexual harassment allegations. In turn, he accused his former colleague of saying "inappropriate" statements about veterans of Russia's War on Ukraine and their wives.

Kucherov claimed that when a wife of a commissar who had an amputated hand and a leg arrived at their office to help her husband enlist, Zemlyankina said, "Do you really need this amputee?" The lieutenant said, "She needs to go get treatment if she is misunderstanding. If she doesn't understand, we will take other measures."

Kucherov insists that he did not harass his coworker because he is married and many female nurses took care of him when he was wounded. He said he plans to return to the Russian Army after he is healed from his partial leg amputation.

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