War that became a 'Myeonjoebu'... Cannibalistic Russian Criminal Released After Deployment

Brutal Killer of Four Teens in 'Devil Worship'
Criticism Over Pardon After Ukraine War Participation
"Joining the War Is Prisoners' Dream... I Want a Pardon"

A heinous criminal who committed a bizarre murder while performing a 'devil worship' ritual and received a heavy sentence has been released after participating in the Ukraine war, sparking criticism.

Russian Murderer Released After Joining Ukraine War

Nikolai Ogolobyak.
Photo by Yonhap News

On the 22nd (local time), foreign media including AFP cited the Russian online media '76.ru' reporting that the heinous criminal Nikolai Ogolobyak (33) was recently released after serving six months on the front lines in Ukraine. Ogolobyak had been serving a 20-year prison sentence since 2010.

Ogolobyak's father told 76.ru, "He was released after being seriously injured in combat," adding, "He is currently recovering and does not seem likely to be mobilized again for the 'special military operation'."

In June 2008, Ogolobyak, then a teenager, along with five others, committed crimes including murdering four teenage girls and cutting off and eating parts of their bodies in a forest on the outskirts of Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow, as part of a devil worship ritual.

Regarding this, Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Russian Kremlin, responded in principle, "Everyone carefully reviews the list of pardoned individuals. The conditions related to frontline participation have not changed."

However, the Ukrainian media Kyiv Post pointed out, "The release of a teenage murderer raises questions about the morality of Russia's prisoner pardon policy."

Russian Serial Killer Who Killed Over 80 Women Also Says "Joining the War is Prisoners' Dream"

Meanwhile, Russia has been recruiting additional forces from prisoners and others to compensate for the large-scale personnel losses in the Ukraine war. The military service period is six months, and potential pardons and financial compensation are offered as conditions to the prisoners.

As a result, a considerable number of criminals have expressed their willingness to participate in the war. Mikhail Popkov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment after raping and murdering over 80 women in Russia and is currently incarcerated, also said, "Joining the Ukraine war and being pardoned is the dream of prisoners."

He said, "I do not hesitate to participate in the Ukraine war. I have experience handling wireless electronic devices in the past, and I think that technology is still quite necessary in the military," adding, "Even though I have been in prison for 10 years, I believe it won't be that difficult to quickly learn new skills."

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