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1/ Last week's news that two Russian cannibals had been pardoned and sent to fight in Ukraine has highlighted the ongoing trend of convicted murderers being recruited for the Russian army or Wagner Group. At least 17 are known to have been released after fighting in Ukraine. ⬇️
2/ The independent Russian outlet Agency. News has compiled a list of released murderers who have fought in Ukraine. Their pardons have caused great distress to relatives of the victims. Some of the killers have gone on to commit fresh crimes at home. Cases include:
3/ 🔺 Vladislav Kanyus, jailed for 17 years in 2022 for raping and strangling his ex-girlfriend. The police failed to respond to multiple calls from neighbours who heard her screams. He signed a military contract, served in Ukraine, survived and returned to Russia a free man.
4/🔺 Artem Buchin raped and killed 23-year-old Tatyana Rekutina in 2022 and was jailed for 20 years in February 2023. He went to Ukraine in August 2023 and was back in his home town by November.
5/🔺 Vyacheslav Samoilov killed his partner Olga Shlyamina, dismembered her with a hacksaw and hid the body parts in different places. He was jailed for 9 years and 7 months but returned home in 2023 after spending only three months at the front.
6/ 🔺 Volgograd resident Arsen Melkonyan beat to death realtor Roman Grebenyuk after an online argument with his sister. He was jailed for 11 years in 2022, served 6 months in Ukraine, and returned home subsequently.
7/🔺 Vadim Tekhov stabbed his ex-wife to death in 2021 in view of a surveillance camera, while already under house arrest for attempted murder. He was jailed for 16 years, went to Ukraine and was set free in November 2022. He was subsequently accused in a drug trafficking case.
8/🔺 Tsyren-Dorzhi Tsyrenzhapov strangled 18-year-old Ekaterina Skvortsova, dismembered her body and threw its parts into the river. Her head was found by children. He was jailed for 14 years, went to Ukraine, was released and is now a suspect in a new murder case.
9/🔺 Ivan Rossomakhin killed a fellow villager and was sent to jail in 2020 for 14 years. He was released in 2023 after serving in the war, went back to his village, and stabbed to death 85-year-old Yulia Buyskikh.
10/🔺 Sergei Shmelev and his accomplice beat athlete Dmitry Sisigin to death and filmed a video of them having fun, covered in blood. Both received 14 and a half years in prison in 2021. Shmelev was free by 2023 .
11/🔺 Dmitry Fursov and Stanislav Belousov killed 34-year-old Irina Sinelnikova, who was going to sell them a car. They were sentenced to 21 and 18 years' imprisonment, respectively. Both joined the Wagner Group and were released in 2023.
12/🔺 Dmitry Zelensky strangled his 27-year-old girlfriend Tatyana Melekhina and put her body through a meat grinder in 2018, for which he received 11 years in prison. He was released in the summer of 2023 after fighting in Ukraine and was pardoned.
13/🔺 Vladislav Korobeinikov and his brother Alexander raped and beat 19-year-old Maria Nechetnaya to death, hitting her on the head with a bat about 60 times. Vladislav fought with the Wagner Group from October 2022 and has now finished his contract.
14/🔺 Pavel Zakharov killed the 61-year-old mother of his girlfriend by stabbing her about 50 times. The court sentenced him to 11 years in prison. He returned home in January 2023 after serving with Wagner.
15/🔺 Kaluga resident Vladimir Tatarintsev and his brother Vladimir raped and killed 18-year-old Yana Boltynyuk. Both were jailed for 18 years in 2019. Vladimir fought for Wagner for 6 months and by the summer of 2023 he had returned to Kaluga.
16/🔺 Dmitry S. and his accomplice Yuri P. killed two World War II veterans and took their money and medals. They were jailed for 21 and 16 years respectively but both went to fight in Ukraine. Yuri died at the front, while Dmitry returned home wounded.
17/🔺 Stanislav Bogdanov killed magistrate Sergei Zhiganov in 2012, striking his victim 40 times with a poker and finishing him off by dropping a dumbbell on his head several times. He joined Wagner in 2022 and returned home minus a leg, but with a pardon and medals.
18/🔺 Evgeny Dudrov and his friends kidnapped a 16-year-old boy in 2003. They demanded a ransom but strangled the boy instead. He was jailed for 12 years in 2021 but was released in 2023 after serving a six-month contract with Wagner.
19/ Relatives have protested against such releases but have been ignored by the Russian authorities. Lawyer and human rights activist Alena Popova notes that they only find out when they see photographs of freed murderers on social media networks:
20/ "This is how they are forced to watch how justice is realised in this country ... So much for protecting your rights. And the killer is now walking free. And this is not just a matter of fairness. Do you feel safe?" /end
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