Russia sent so many men to join the war in Ukraine that the country’s crime rate dropped shortly after the invasion began. Now their return begins to unleash a wave of crime.
According to data from Russia’s Supreme Court, crimes committed by military personnel unrelated to the war increased by more than 20% last year. Although the total number is still small and many returning soldiers do not commit any offences, there was an increase in the number of violent crimes, thefts and drug-related offences.
The figures do not include crimes involving tens of thousands of convicts released from prison to join the war under a program set up by the late Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. Those who survived six months at the front could receive a pardon from President Vladimir Putin and return to Russia as free men.
