Desperate Measures: Russian Military Releases Twice-Convicted Murderer and Rapist to Fight in Ukraine

The ongoing battle between Russia and Ukraine has forced both countries to resort to extreme measures. To increase its military strength, the Russian government choose to allow convicted criminals to serve in the war, BBC reported.

One such convict, Ivan Rossomakhin, has been released twice from prison to fight in the war. The convict was first set free, back in 2022, but he was again taken into custody after he assaulted and killed an 85-year-old, while he was stationed at the district of Vyatskiye Polyany in Russia’s Kirov Region.

Rossomakhin's first prison sentence had him serving 14 years for murder, BBC reported. After his release in 2022, he was instructed by the authorities to join the Wagner mercenary group.

Wagner mercenary group is a private military organization that recruits mercenaries and also draws convicts from prison to fight against Ukraine, Newsweek reported.

Shortly after the start of the Ukraine war, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin began the process of recruiting convicts from prison to fight in the frontlines, BBC reported. If inmates agreed to participate in the war and fulfilled their mission, they stood a chance to garner an official pardon from Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Thousands of rapists and murderers were released and many lost their lives during brutal assaults on Ukrainian cities such as Bakhmut.

Rossomakhin was allowed to go back to his hometown in the Kirov region of northern Russia by the Wagner group, where he terrorized civilians by threatening to kill them, Newsweek reported. The civilians contacted the police, who assured them that the criminal would soon return to the Wagner group.

Before Rossomakhin was asked to return, he was arrested by the police on suspicion of murdering an 85-year-old pensioner, Yulia Byuskikh at her own home, Newsweek reported.

In April, Rossomakhin was found guilty of Yulia Byuskikh’s rape and murder and sentenced to 22 years in prison, which was later extended to 23 years, BBC reported. The court took into consideration the "extreme brutality" involved in the murder during the proceedings. 

The victim's family was notified sometime later by the prison general that Rossomakhin was released on 19 August, a week after his sentence commenced in the prison.

"My first reaction was terror. I read the forensic reports and I know what this person did to my grandmother. It’s monstrous that he has been released again," Anna Pekareva, granddaughter of the victim said. "The fact that this is happening in the 21st Century... there are no words that can describe what’s happening!"

Pekareva is disappointed by the calls taken by her government, BBC reported. "It’s obvious there isn’t enough manpower," Pekareva said. "The authorities don’t give a damn about peaceful civilians if they allow people who have committed serious crimes to be exonerated and let out of prison. It tells us that no one can feel safe in Russia."

Pekareva now is scared of the possibility that the convict could come back and take revenge on her family for demanding a life sentence, BBC reported.

As per documents, Rossomakhin was released according to a Russian law that allows the military to recruit prisoners and send them to the frontline, BBC reported. The process of recruiting convicts from prison was taken over by the Russian military after Prigozhin’s failed mutiny in 2023.

Prigozhin and thousands of mercenaries from the Wagner group marched to Moscow in an act of open rebellion against the government, but later aborted the mutiny, BBC reported. 

After the Wagner group was out of the picture, the authorities passed an official federal law in March, legalizing the recruitment of convicts for participation in the war, BBC reported. As per the law, the convicted criminals recruited for the war would have their sentences suspended for the duration of their military service. Moreover, awards for exemplary service on the battlefield could also get them pardoned. 

Ukraine has also been recruiting convicts to fight in the war, BBC reported. Rapists and murderers are not eligible for recruitment or any of the benefits that come along with it, in Ukraine. Ukrainian Deputy Justice Minister Olena Vysotska shared that 300,000 prisoners from the country had joined the military.