As I'm sure most readers will remember, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine kicked off, Russia soon found itself short of fighting soldiers. One of the ways it sought to address that was to allow convicted criminals to volunteer to serve with the Wagner Group, a private military contractor. If they served six months, the remainder of their prison sentence was excused and they became free men once again. The body count was allegedly very high, but a significant proportion of the thousands who volunteered are once again out and about in Russia.
Turns out that might not have been such a good idea . . .
According to Bloomberg, citing data from the Supreme Court of Russia, crimes committed by soldiers (but not those on the front line) increased by more than 20% in 2023. Although their number is still "small," and many soldiers do not commit offenses, the number of violent acts, thefts, and drug-related crimes are rising.
However, the data do not include crimes committed by thousands of convicts. It's important to recall that they were released from prisons to join a program founded by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin. Those who survived six months on the front could receive a pardon from President Vladimir Putin and return to Russia as free men.
As sociologist Iskender Yasaveev explained in an interview with Bloomberg, they are treated horribly on the front. "The experience they return with is a trauma that will manifest itself for decades," he argues.
According to Bloomberg, the return of prisoners who fought for Wagner provides an early picture of what might happen when hundreds of thousands of men return from the front to civilian life. The agency notes that while minor crimes have decreased, the number of murders and sexual offenses, especially against children, has not reduced in the past two years.
According to Bloomberg's calculations based on Supreme Court data, the number of assaults on minors increased by 62% compared to the pre-war period. Meanwhile, the number of crimes involving military personnel quadrupled - to 4,409 in 2023, compared to 2021.
Bloomberg describes that the return of Wagner recruits to Russia has shocked city and village residents. They discover that men they thought were serving long prison sentences are living among them again. Among those pardoned were people convicted of murder and even cannibalism.
There's more at the link.
Yeah . . . I can understand that finding the person who raped, killed and ate your daughter is back in your village, free as a bird, might be just a leeeetle bit upsetting to her parents. However, they have no recourse; the pardon has already been issued. If they try to take justice into their own hands, they make themselves guilty of a crime, and will land up behind bars or executed. There's no future in that.
On the other hand, it appears that Russian soldiers are turning on each other with increasing criminality - possibly due to the presence in their ranks of precisely the same released convicts?
The journalists pointed out that from January to October 2023, 135 cases of murders committed in areas occupied by Russian soldiers were settled in courts. "It turns out that the Kremlin's army kills its own soldiers every two to three days — due to mistakes or negligence," reports Onet. Importantly, these are incomplete data, as there is no information from garrison courts in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
It turns out that more crimes are committed in these areas than murders committed by war veterans throughout Russia ... Crimes occur both in trenches along the front lines and in camps. Many murders are successfully covered up by reporting deaths resulting from combat actions. Many cases reach the courts, though it's hard to say what percentage of this represents.
An analysis of verdicts shows that, in most cases, alcohol is a factor. This was the case in 83% of cases. As many as 76% of the perpetrators were drunk at the time of the murder. Some of the accused were confirmed to have alcoholism, drug addiction, and in some cases, mental and behavioral disorders, including PTSD.
Again, more at the link.
I can understand Russia wanting more troops; but this way of getting them seems to have had more than a few unintended (and very undesirable) consequences.
Peter
16 comments:
According to official US Army sources, 183 soldiers died in the first 6 months of this year in Fort Cavazos (né Hood). That's one per day. The general belief among the Soldiers is that the command is liquidating "troublemakers". It seems that anybody who reports a real problem to the IG is found dead somewhere in the maneuver area a week or two later, with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head, no gun found at the scene.
A good lesson for all who contemplate allowing the returning war veteran from automatic inclusion into society. Hardened criminals are not bothered with committing crimes they have done in the past. It is why they were incarcerated in the 1st place.
Now a person who committed a crime of passion ONCE. As in they had no record of any previous crimes and they lost it one time. That is worthy of debate.
Those are beginner crime stats.
Russia should open it's borders like the EU and the US so they can enjoy the professional level enlightenment.
Righttttt. Because a POLISH propaganda / content farm website is just the place to go to get Just the Facts, Ma'am about Muh Slavering Russian Bears.
Not good enough. A leeeetle bit of due diligence and curiosity never hurts.
All you had to do was click on 'About us' in the footer. Not rocket science.
https://holding.wp.pl/en/media
Sounds like what Dave did to Bathsheba's wife.
If we go to war anytime soon - and we will - we should put all those new "Americans" pouring across the "border" on the frontlines too.
@Zaphod: The first report is from MSN. Not exactly a Polish propaganda website. The second, yes, is a Polish site. I followed a link to it from the MSN report. Taken on balance, I think both are likely to be accurate.
Arm em up & train em. Great. Just great.
Pretty sure that's propaganda. And as for running out of troops...the first troops involved were essentially militia from Donbass etc. And now? https://voxday.net/2024/07/25/the-numbers-gap-grows/
I think Chicago solves under 2% of the murders and shootings. At least give the Russians credit for rounding up the criminals, prosecuting them and putting them in jail. Russia et al strike me as places where justice can be hasty. It will be like that here in short order because our prosecutors make no effort to stop, hinder or even slow down criminals.
I wonder what is the % of troubles Fance gets from their "redeemed" Foreign Legionnaires once they return to civilian life and with a clear record?
Not as popular as anti-Russian stuff but worth thinking about.
Also, I suspect that Moscow is FAR Safer to walk with your young lady than any number of Democrat Controlled Blue Cities.
Probably because they PUNISH Criminals in a rather prompt and severe manner.
So severe they willingly sigh up for the Russian version of the French Foreign Legion, knowing they will be used as shock troops.
Also, they defenestrate greedy and troublesome business leaders as a reminder to the rest now to cheat Mother Russia.
Maybe that's not so bad an idea given the issues with our modern weapon systems and the massive over-runs in cost and time? Ford Aircraft carrier, F-35 Thunderturden, Crappy Little Ships that are unable to run at flank speed due to hull fractures and retired with in years instead of the normal decades of Naval service?
Whistleblowers will be purged until morale improves.
"Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas."
Boo frickin' hoo.
Russia's been a basket case nation for 500 years, and they sit still for it.
Too bad, so sad.
Dear Aesop, care to contrast and compare crime and violence in Russia Vs California?
Please adjust for democrats eliminating crime by Changing the Laws to make so many laws like stealing less than 950 dollars not a real crime and apparently now selling children for sex isn't a felony?
Thank you
The homicide rate in Russia is 6.8 per 100,000.
The homicide rate in California is 5.7 per 100,000.
Next!
Anon part one:
I asked about crime and violence compared Russia to California.
Homicide is but a modest part of that. For example, of violence for liberals when an "Amish" youth decides to go Polar Bear Hunting in most major US Cities, that's violence. Something about brain damage from getting hit with the knockout game stuff.
Rape, murder, robbery, carjacking, assault and burning up stuff for kicks. You know typical police reports in the daily news.
Also, there is a cultural difference between modern America vs Russia.
The Americans call the police when someone does wrong to their sisters and mothers. I understand "Catch and Release" is the normal Police-court response.
In Russia they kill the SOB. THAT tends to raise the "Homicide Rate" BUT reduces the number of Repeat Offenders. I hear Aesop tell us often the repeat rate of a dead criminal is zero. Almost like that's a good thing?
I suspect the returning felon soldiers mentioned in the Polish report, Peter referenced are either going to live well within the law or face the friends and family murder special.
Was it Heinlein that said a "Armed society is a polite society as bad behavior was apt to get you killed"?
Anon now part two. SNIP 82.66 percent of Americans live in Cities and their suburbs.
As a quick look at California major cities homicide rates shows NONE less than 7.something I QUESTION your 5.7 per 100,000 as that's a standard unit used.
A little true story of my early police experiences in the 70's (yeah feeling old).
When a troublesome soul was found dead it wasn't uncommon to deem his death "From Natural Causes". A few slugs in him were a natural way to die. No extra investigations needed; case closed.
In Modern slang the Natural causes was FAFO.
And GIVEN the past few years of Defund the Police and even Aesop's oft reports of them being useless... Just how many maybe Homicides were listed as ah, suicide or natural causes?
Always TRUST Gov.com statistics... LOL
That was a lot of words to say "I know what I know, don't confuse me with the facts."
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