Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ A Russian soldier has been sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment in a maximum security penal colony for stealing a weapon, getting drunk, and carrying out a mass shooting in Miass. The case is part of a record crime wave in Russia, partially fuelled by the war in Ukraine. ⬇️

2/ The unnamed junior sergeant stole an fellow soldier's assault rifle and ammunition earlier in 2023. At 1 AM on 10 September 2023, he decided to steal a truck, hit the driver in the face, took away the keys and drove away in it. However, he was soon stopped by traffic police.

3/ The police did not arrest him. That evening, he went drinking with friends and learned of a conflict between one of them and two brothers. He got into a friend's car around 9 PM, armed with the assault rifle, and spotted the brothers in a crowd on Miass's Sverdlova Street.

4/ The soldier fired 15 shots at them, hitting and wounding four people in the crowd. The police and FSB soon tracked him down and arrested the soldier and three of his friends, though the latter were not charged with any offences.

5/ The soldier was also charged with being absent without leave due to having twice failed to show up for duty without good reason. He has been sentenced by the court to 13 years in a 'strict regime' (maximum security) penal colony.

6/ The case illustrates two related problems for Russia. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there has been a steady leakage of weapons and ammunition across the border (which is still enforced by Russia, despite its purported annexations).

7/ In the war's first year, the number of crimes in Russia involving firearms and ammunition increased by 32%. Soldiers have smuggled weapons across the border for personal use or to sell to others, potentially to criminal gangs. Firearms are strictly controlled in Russia.

8/ At the same time, there has been a reported 900% increase in murders committed by soldiers – up from 13 in 2022 to 113 in 2023. The UK's Ministry of Defence has attributed this to "enduring war-related chronic poor mental health issues" and the use of convicts as soldiers.

9/ Soldiers returning home have been convicted of more than 2,500 crimes since 2022. Black-market weapons are contributing to a record crime wave. The Russian government has forecast that 152,000 serious crimes may be committed in 2024, the highest figure in over 15 years. /end

Sources:
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🔹 tass.ru/proisshestviya…
74.ru/text/criminal/…
74.ru/text/criminal/…
verstov.info/news/society/m…
theins.ru/en/politics/26…
independent.co.uk/news/world/eur…
novayagazeta.eu/articles/2024/…