Russian ex-convict returned from war suspected of killing 11-year-old girl

A Russian ex-convict who had recently returned from the frontlines in Ukraine has been detained by police on suspicion of murdering an 11-year-old girl in the city of Nizhny Tagil in Russia’s Ural region, local media outlet E1.ru reported on Tuesday.

Anastasia Yakina, 11, disappeared on 31 August after going for a walk, the outlet wrote, after which her father contacted the police and volunteers helped in the search for the missing girl.

Yakina’s body was found on Tuesday in the basement of the apartment building where she lived, Telegram channel Ural Mash reported. Her father, Alexander Yakin, told E1.ru that traces of blood were found in the flat where his neighbour, who had recently returned from the frontlines in Ukraine, lived.

Yakin did not name the neighbour, but independent media outlet 7x7 identified the suspect as Vladimir Alexandrov. The day Yakina disappeared, Alexandrov reportedly fled to Moscow where he was detained by police on Tuesday on suspicion of murder.

According to E1.ru, Alexandrov has a criminal record and has recently returned from the war in Ukraine, and was also planning to return to the front. According to another building resident, the investigators told her during questioning that Alexandrov had previously been convicted of a violent crime.

The Russian authorities frequently offer violent criminals, rapists and murderers early release from prison and an eventual presidential pardon in exchange for them signing a contract to serve for six months with the Russian military in Ukraine.