Russian soldiers have killed over 100 people since returning from the war in Ukraine, journalists find

Since the start of the full-scale war, Russian soldiers returning from Ukraine have killed at least 107 people and seriously injured at least 100 others, according to a new report from the independent news outlet Verstka.

Using media reports and court records, journalists calculated that Russian soldiers committed 84 violent offenses. Fifty-five of these crimes (resulting in a total of 76 deaths) were prosecuted as murder, while 18 of them (for a total of 18 deaths) were prosecuted as acts causing grievous bodily harm. Soldiers’ traffic violations led to another 11 deaths, and soldiers inducing minors to consume drugs caused two children’s deaths.

Among the 100 people who were injured, 70 were victims of soldiers charged with “inflicting life-threatening grievous bodily harm,” 16 were targeted by murder attempts, 10 were injured in car accidents, three were hurt by soldiers’ “excessive self-defense,” and one person suffered severe injuries due to a soldier’s “negligence.”

Most (91) of the soldiers responsible for these crimes were recruited from prison and granted amnesty for joining the war. Another 84 were volunteer contract soldiers or regular servicemen. Out of the 45 amnestied soldiers who killed people after returning from Ukraine, 24 were repeat offenders before going to war.