April 29, 2024

Returning Home to Kill


Returning Home to Kill
Jail cell. The Russian Life files

On April 25, Vyorstka revealed that some 107 persons have been killed and 100 others have been gravely injured by soldiers returning to Russia from Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.

The Russian independent news outlet obtained these numbers after analyzing judicial records and news stories from the media.

According to Vyorstka, soldiers committed at least 84 crimes that led to casualties, including 54 murders with 76 victims. According to the publication, prisoners who were pardoned in exchange for military service were more likely to commit murder than other former soldiers. 18 deaths were recorded as cases of grievous bodily harm. Eleven people died as a result of 9 traffic violations. Two former soldiers who were ex-convicts supplied drugs to minors, resulting in two deaths. 

Research by Vyortska demonstrated that former prisoners who committed these crimes after returning home received sentences averaging 6- to 11-years, while other former soldiers received 7.5 to 10 years in prison. In cases of bodily harm resulting in death, former Wagner Group mercenaries were less likely to receive longer sentences.

Russian Life has previously reported on the concerning trend [also this story from our print magazine] of former prisoners who served in Ukraine returning home and killing. In Yakutsk, an ex-convict killed a 34-year-old man, as well as a 64-year-old woman who won "The Best Teacher in Russia" competition. Near Nizhny Novgorod, convicted murderer Oleg Grechko burned his sister alive upon returning from Ukraine.

Women's rights groups have simultaneously noted increased domestic violence cases from veterans, some of which have led to murder. In Nizhny Novgorod, Alexander Mamayev, a veteran who was not a former prisoner, killed his wife Yekaterina while his 6- and 7-year-olds were in the apartment. 

In January 2024, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree halting the pardoning of prisoners. Contracts now offer "conditional releases" and don't end until the war in Ukraine is over. 

You Might Also Like

  • February 10, 2024

"I Breathed a Sigh of Relief"

The war has increased cases of domestic abuse, yet in one instance things went in an entirely different direction.
A Brick in AWOL
  • April 16, 2024

A Brick in AWOL

In March 2024, Russian military courts began handing down about 34 sentences a day for unauthorized abandonment of military service.
Violence Comes Home, Too
  • April 22, 2023

Violence Comes Home, Too

A man from Nizhny Novgorod fought in Ukraine. When he returned to Russia, he killed his wife.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955