A former convict who fought in Vladimir Putin’s war went on to kill six people with an accomplice after being freed from jail.
People in Russia have raised concerns over former convict fighters in the war being rewarded by Putin.
A former convict Igor Sofonov, 37,who fought in Vladimir Putin’s war went on to kill six people with an accomplice after being freed from prison, police in Russia claim.
Sofonov and another ex-convict, Maksim Bochkarev, were arrested in the Republic of Karelia after authorities found two burnt-down homes with the remains of six stabbing victims.
The victims included a 39-year-old man and his 71-year-old father in one home, and a man, his wife, brother, and a pensioner in the second home.
The motive behind these savage murders in the village of Derevyannoye is believed to be a “long-standing domestic conflict,” as per the police, who provided no further details.
Both Sofonov and Bochkarev have extensive criminal records and have served time in prison for serious crimes, including murder, theft, robbery, and drug manufacturing. It is not clear when and under what circumstances they were released.
Sofonov had shared pictures on social media showing his participation in the war, and he was part of a unit called Storm Z, comprising prison recruits formed by the Russian Defense Ministry to mimic the notorious Wagner Group.
Upon his return, local residents reported that Sofonov spent a considerable amount of money quickly and then indulged in heavy drinking with his prison buddy Bochkarev for the entire month of July.
Sadly, this is not the first instance of a Russian mercenary returning from the battlefield and allegedly committing massacres back home.
Other inmates freed through the Wagner Group’s prison recruitment scheme have been accused of murder and r@pe in Russia after returning.
It’s been recently reported that Russian authorities seem to be attempting to hide the crimes committed by these freed prison inmates turned Wagner fighters, erasing their names from court documents and keeping details of their crimes undisclosed
