The so-called heroes of the “special military operation“ are returning, unleashing a wave of violence that threatens to sweep across Russia soon. War criminals hailed as heroes by propaganda are instantly becoming the subject of crime news, Ukrainian TV channel FREEDOM reports.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians went to Ukraine to kill on Vladimir Putin's orders: some were poisoned by propaganda, others were driven into the trenches by poverty, others were forced or lured by deception. But a huge number of those who signed contracts went to kill Ukrainians in exchange for the state reducing their sentences.
The late leader of the PMC “Wagner“ Yevgeny Prigozhin even personally recorded videos of himself recruiting soldiers from prisons in Russia. With the approval of the Kremlin, the Russian army replenished its ranks with convicted prisoners, some of them for murder, not petty crimes.
Some Russian prisoners who survive the front later return not to prison, but to their hometowns and villages, where they are presented by the authorities as heroes. The fact that these “heroes“ have blood on their hands, is often ignored.
A significant proportion of those pardoned find themselves back in the country a few months later, with all the ensuing consequences.
The civilian population is thus faced with a huge problem. Independent investigations and testimonies from servicemen themselves describe racketeering, beatings and threats in the army. This system encourages or allows torture and murder. A person sent to war from civilian life or prison quickly gets used to conditions where there are no laws and force prevails. This experience does not disappear after returning home.
The recruitment of military personnel in Russia has long since expanded beyond penal colonies and has become systematic. Today, even those whose cases have not yet reached court are drawn into the war. In May 2024, amendments to the Criminal Code were adopted, allowing the detention of suspects until the investigation is completed.
„There is also a directive from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. When a suspect is detained, it is as if Rodion Raskolnikov is standing over the body of an elderly woman with a bloody axe. Then the police come in and handcuff him. He says: „Take this off, I am signing a contract for the SVO zone.“ And they take off the handcuffs. Such people do not even go into pre-trial detention“, says Olga Romanova, director and founder of the „Rus sidyacha“ foundation.
The Russian authorities have created a system for covering up crimes. Putin’s regime has effectively given these criminals carte blanche to commit murder.
There are reports that more than 550 people have been killed at the hands of former veterans of the war in Ukraine, and another 465 have been seriously injured. The Kremlin is not bothered by these figures and, as usual, is trying to cover up the growing threat with a show of social adaptation. Some of the former prisoners who returned from the front are even now teaching patriotism to Russian schoolchildren.
The replenishment of the ranks of criminals with former combat veterans is nothing new; there was such a thing after Afghanistan. After the withdrawal of the contingent, some veterans failed to integrate into everyday Soviet life. They formed not only legally authorized organizations, but also criminal networks, which led to an increase in crime and increased social tension.
Other criminals could become part of the Russian government. Those who did not become leaders or join gangs will have to pour all the dirt accumulated in their war-torn psyches onto their families. Putin’s regime has been feeding the ground for a rise in domestic violence for almost a decade. It was decriminalized in Russia in 2017, when the first attacks on loved ones were downgraded from criminal offenses to administrative offenses.
The Kremlin is unable to control the consequences of its own decisions. The Russian government does not have the security or social resources to stop the violence it has itself provoked. Moreover, brutality and impunity are encouraged, as this is necessary to attract new contract soldiers and continue the war.