A woman dragged into an abandoned building and raped. A stranger nearly killed with an axe inside a convenience store. A pensioner beaten to death with a metal pipe — because someone was bored. These crimes have one thing in common: all were committed by veterans of the war in Ukraine. All by men who were once convicted criminals — and then pardoned for military service. In this episode of From Russia with Crime, we trace the pattern of impunity spreading across Russia. Where former convicts return from the front with medals — and commit brutal crimes without fear of justice.
A woman dragged into an abandoned building and raped. A stranger nearly killed with an axe inside a convenience store. A pensioner beaten to death with a metal pipe — because someone was bored. These crimes have one thing in common: all were committed by veterans of the war in Ukraine. All by men who were once convicted criminals — and then pardoned for military service. In this episode of From Russia with Crime, we trace the pattern of impunity spreading across Russia. Where former convicts return from the front with medals — and commit brutal crimes without fear of justice.