"How Could That Murderer..." Fear Among Russian Residents Over Prisoner Mercenary's Return

If Surviving 6 Months in Ukraine War, Eligible for Pardon
Criminals Released One After Another, Causing Community Panic
Human Rights Groups Warn "Situation Will Become Serious Without Action"

As criminals who participated as mercenaries in the war with Ukraine are being released one after another, local residents are living in fear.

On the 10th (local time), the British Guardian reported, "Criminals who committed horrific crimes such as murder went to the war in Ukraine and are now being pardoned and returning to their communities."

In February last year, the Wagner Group recruited prisoners as mercenaries to participate in the war with Ukraine on the condition that they would be pardoned if they survived on the battlefield for six months. The Wagner Group is a Russian private military company founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The above photo is not directly related to the article content.
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

In fact, Russian authorities announced last month that "24 prisoner-turned-mercenaries who survived under the conditions set by the Wagner Group were pardoned," and videos showing dozens of murderers and drug dealers being released were also made public.

Despite the Russian government's claim that the pardons are "granted under strict laws," fear is spreading among local residents about the release of criminals.

A resident of Pikalevo in northern Russia mentioned a prisoner named Anatoly Salmin in an interview with the Guardian. The resident lamented, "Salmin is a dangerous person. He brutally murdered a friend in 2011. Moreover, he harassed girls and was involved in drugs. Such a person has started appearing in the village since a few weeks ago."

Another resident expressed concern, saying, "Everyone in the village is afraid of encountering Salmin," and added, "Moreover, he now has connections with Prigozhin, one of the most notorious people in Russia."

In addition to Salmin, many serious criminals were reportedly among those recently pardoned, including Dmitry Kuryagin, who killed his grandmother to steal money, and Alexander Tutin, who ordered the contract killing of four family members in 2005.

An official from a Russian human rights organization pointed out, "Many of the criminals who volunteered as mercenaries for the Wagner Group still have long prison terms remaining. This means they committed very serious crimes," and warned, "If no measures are taken against them, there could be a significant increase in crime."

Mercenaries of the Wagner Group deployed in the Ukraine war [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, The New York Times (NYT) raised suspicions that prisoners who participated in the war in Ukraine were illegally pardoned. The NYT reported, "After obtaining and analyzing a copy of a prisoner's release certificate, it was revealed that President Putin pushed for an illegal secret pardon order to recruit prisoners as mercenaries."

Experts pointed out, "According to the Russian Constitution, only the president can issue a pardon order, but the Russian government has not issued any pardon orders since 2020," and added, "Issuing secret pardon orders to recruit many prisoners destroys the legal system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.