This is the dramatic moment Russian cops busted a gang that kidnapped 'Special Military Operation' veterans for ransom.

Police officers detained the suspected group who allegedly kidnapped military veterans who took part in the war in Ukraine and extorted money from them and their relatives in Moscow, Russia.

Bodycam footage shows police surrounding a black sedan before pulling the suspects out on the evening of November 22.

Police identified one of the detainees as Ruslan Kartoev, an active member of the banned Batal-Hadji organisation.

Rosgvardia, Russia's National Guard, confirmed that the suspects had been arrested and that details of the criminal scheme were still being established.

In earlier cases in the country, authorities said a group in Nizhnevartovsk sought out single men and encouraged them to sign military service contracts before arranging fictitious marriages and powers of attorney to steal their payments.

In a separate case in October, almost 30 people were arrested on suspicion of stealing combat-related benefits from soldiers, with the group operating at Sheremetyevo Airport, where they allegedly carried out thefts, extortion, and fraud.

After that arrest, the alleged organiser, businessman Aleksei Kabochnin, reportedly asked to be sent to the front in Ukraine.