Russian Convicted Murderer Released From Prison To Rejoin War: Reports
August 28, 2024
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A former Russian prisoner who was sentenced to 23 years for the murder and rape of an 85-year-old woman has reportedly been released from a correctional colony to fight in Ukraine once more.
On August 26, Russian news channel Ostorozhno Novosti shared on Telegram a letter it said it had received from the human rights organization Traumapunkt, which represents the family of the pensioner.
The letter was purportedly from the head of a prison, and stated that an inmate, Ivan Rossomakhin, sentenced to remain jailed until 2046 had been released to serve in Ukraine.
Travmpunkt wrote on Telegram that the relatives were informed of Rossomachin’s release by Ivan Polovnikov, head of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Kirov Region. The victim’s granddaughter confirmed the news to the BBC.
She told the outlet that she felt terror at the thought that the man who did “monstrous” things to her grandmother was being released. “The fact that this is happening in the 21st Century… there are no words that can describe what’s happening!” she reportedly said.
Prisoners stand in formation during a rehearsal of a festive rally to be held on Victory Day, in a men’s high security colony, in the vicinity of Krasnoyarsk, Russia. The colony contains prisoners with long… Prisoners stand in formation during a rehearsal of a festive rally to be held on Victory Day, in a men’s high security colony, in the vicinity of Krasnoyarsk, Russia. The colony contains prisoners with long sentences, including repeat offenders. Former prisoner Ivan Rossomakhin who was convicted of raping and murdering 85-year-old woman will join fight in Ukraine.
Ilya Naymushin/Sputnik via AP
According to court documents, Rossomakhin, now 29, was originally convicted of murder in 2020 and sentenced to 14 years in prison. However, in 2022, he was released after serving just two years, having agreed to join the Wagner Group, a private military organization known for recruiting convicts to fight in Ukraine, according to the Associated Press (AP).
After returning to his hometown in the Kirov region of northern Russia, he reportedly instilled fear among the residents by threatening to kill them.
According to AP, police promised residents Rossomachin would soon return to the Wagner group, but before he was able to he was arrested again, this time on suspicion of murdering an 85-year-old pensioner.
He was convicted of rape and murder of the senior and sentenced to 22 years, the BBC reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing prisoners convicted of murder to join the military in 2022. The Wagner Group initially led the recruitment of convicts from Russian prisons, offering them a chance at freedom in exchange for fighting in Ukraine, Newsweek previously reported.
Some have been granted official pardons for their service in Ukraine, but return home to commit further crimes, The New York Times reported.
It comes as Putin faces criticism for his response to Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk, which led it to seize significant territory away from Russia, its biggest success since the conflict began in Februrary 2022.
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