Reports claim that Wagner soldiers who returned to Russia after their service in Ukraine terrorized the local communities before they left.
“The state and personally Putin and Prigozhin are to blame for Yulia’s death and should answer for it,” an unnamed close relative of Yulia Buiskich, a woman allegedly killed by a paroled Wagner troop, told The Observer. “They released a sick b—— into society.”
Buiskich was found dead at her home in Novyj Burets. This small town has a population of about a hundred. Ivan Rossomakhin (28), a Wagner soldier pardoned for his service in Ukraine who entered Buiskich’s home, is accused of killing her with an axe.
As the war in Ukraine continued, and Putin’s forces began to suffer losses, he relied heavily upon the Wagner Group founded by Yevgeny Prgozhin. Prigozhin made money by catering to the Kremlin and providing food services. He claimed to have founded Wagner in 2014 to support the Donbas mission.
Wagner is increasingly recruiting from prisons to meet the high demand for troops. Prisons often have veterans who are trained in military skills. U.S. Intelligence had previously stated that the Russian Defense Ministry held “reservations’ about Wagner’s recruitment methods. However, the group has continued to recruit new troops from prisons.
After completing their sentence in Ukraine, prisoners are granted a pardon, and they can return to their former lives. This was the case for Alexander Tyutin (66), a real estate agent, who hired hitmen to murder his business partner, his family, and even his niece.
Tyutin, who had served in Ukraine only for six months before leaving the army to fly to Turkey and reunite with his family, flew there to be reunited with his wife.
The Observer reports that other paroled criminals returned to Russia instead and committed new crimes. The Observer reports that many are believed to be dead, but 5000 criminals with pardons returned.
Tskhinvali was shocked to hear that Georgiy Sukkayev had killed Soslan Valiev, an elderly man who lived in the area and had been loved by all. Georgiy had served for Wagner in Ukraine.
On Telegram, a video appeared showing a man – allegedly Siukayev – chasing Valiyev down and kicking him, before stabbing him to apparent death. Days later, local authorities announced that Siukayev was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Wagner founder Prigozhin alleged that Siukayev defended bystanders harassed.
Alexey Savichev (49), a convicted murderer who served six months in Ukraine fighting for the towns Soledar, Bakhmut, and Voronezh, returned to Voronezh in September. He claimed recently to The Guardian that, during his six-month stay in Ukraine, he had tortured and murdered dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The Guardian also reported that he spent his entire one million rubles (approximately $12,277) prize on alcohol and prostitutes. He would always show his Ukrainian war medals to the police when he was in trouble.
Savichev revealed that the officers treated him like a hero, inviting him to tea to hear stories from the frontline. “I felt I could get away from anything.”
Prigozhin defended the use of criminals in the past, arguing that it was better for them to serve as “dandelion boys” in Ukraine rather than Russians.
“That prisoner went to war and died. Or, he was saved by a miracle,” Prigozhin said. “He is a killer, and in war, he’s worth three, four, or even more dandelions boys, whose lips are still wet with milk.”
“Among those dandelion boys is your son, your father, and your husband,” he added. “So weigh it up. Would you rather have the murderer going to war, or your family members?”
