“More than 1,000 people in Russia have been killed or maimed by the military after returning from the front, and in nine out of 10 cases, courts consider participation in the war as a mitigating factor, according to a joint investigation by Verstka and Die Welt.”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
These are Russian servicemen who returned to civilian life while on leave, after being wounded, at the end of their contract, or after being discharged from service.
Since the beginning of the war, 551 people have died as a result of the actions of servicemen who returned from the front – 274 were killed, 163 died as a result of injuries received during beatings or as a result of road accidents. 142 persons who committed such crimes went to war from the colonies and have convictions under similar articles.
Of the 700 court decisions analyzed by the investigators, in 90% of cases participation in hostilities was a mitigating circumstance. Usually, murders and fatal beatings occur as a result of domestic conflicts against the background of alcohol intoxication. Most often, their relatives and loved ones suffer at the hands of the military.
In 2022, Yevhen Prigozhin, the founder of the “Wagner” Communist Party, began to recruit prisoners from Russian colonies for the war against Ukraine. They had the opportunity to receive amnesty after six months of being at the front.
In 2023, the Ministry of Defense took over the recruitment of prisoners, but the conditions changed: after signing the contract, you can only return from the front with a serious injury. The mobilized and most of the contract workers serve under the same conditions.
In some Russian units, short-term contracts are in effect, when a serviceman has the right to leave after six months of service. Most often, officials and deputies serve in such units.