Violent Criminals "Pardoned After 6 Months of Service"
Rape and Murder Offenders Also Pardoned After Serving
Repeat Offenders Re-enlist to Avoid Heavy Sentences
Foreign media reported that child sex crimes have surged as Russia mobilizes criminals as troops in the war against Ukraine. It is also reported that murderers and rapists were included among those pardoned through participation in the war.
On the 24th (local time), the British Metro cited an analysis by 'We Can Explain' and reported that the number of people convicted of child abuse in Russia nearly doubled last year, with heinous sex crimes increasing by 77%. In the first half of this year alone, 147 people have already been convicted of crimes against children, a significant increase from 97 last year.
One of the causes of the rise in crimes against children in Russia is attributed to President Vladimir Putin's mobilization of criminals for the war. Facing a shortage of troops in the Ukraine war, Russia deployed criminals as mercenaries in the Wagner Group. It is known that criminals are pardoned after serving six months. Additionally, instead of signing a written contract when volunteering for the war, they reportedly received a verbal promise that their families would be paid 5 million rubles (about 100 million won) in case of death.
The Kremlin initially denied this but acknowledged in January 2023 that "criminals were pardoned after agreeing to a pledge to ‘strictly abide by Russian law.’"
Among those released after receiving pardons from the Kremlin were rapists and murderers. Vladimir Alexandrov, who was convicted and imprisoned for raping and killing an 11-year-old female student, was pardoned in exchange for serving in the Ukraine war. He committed the horrific crime of dumping the girl's body in a nearby basement where rats gnawed on the corpse, but was pardoned for the remaining eight years of his sentence after six months of military service. Another soldier, Yuri Gavrilov (33), who was accused of raping and abusing an 11-year-old female student, was also pardoned and released after military service.
There were also reports that a convicted murderer committed another murder in Russia after participating in the war but was released again through the prisoner soldier recruitment process. The British BBC reported that a prisoner serving a 14-year sentence for murder participated in the Ukraine war in 2022, completed military service, and then committed another murder in Russia last April. Although this offender was sentenced to 23 years in prison again, he was released after only a week of starting his sentence last month by participating once more in the prisoner soldier recruitment process.
The UN Special Rapporteur also released a similar investigation last month. Special Rapporteur Mariana Kacharova warned, "170,000 criminals convicted in Russia were deployed to the Ukraine war, and a significant number of those who returned after participation have committed new crimes such as violence, sexual violence, and murder."
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