The Wagnerite who raped and killed a pensioner returned to war: he spent 8 days in prison

This is likely the first time that a recruited prisoner has twice escaped punishment for murder by going to a war zone.

A Russian citizen who, while serving time in a penal colony, signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, took part in battles, and upon returning home killed a pensioner, has once again gone to war against Ukraine .

“The former Wagner PMC fighter, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the rape and murder of an 85-year-old pensioner, has signed a contract again and is headed to the SVO,” writes the resource “Caution. News.”

The Traumatpunkt advocacy project, which represents the interests of the deceased pensioner’s relatives, reported this to journalists. According to a letter from the head of the colony, where 29-year-old former PMC fighter Ivan Rossomakhin was supposed to serve his sentence until 2046, the convict was released from the colony after 8 days. Thus, Rossomakhin avoided punishment for the second time by going to war.

As noted, Rossomakhin received his first term in 2020. He was supposed to serve 14 years for murder and robbery, but signed a contract with the relevant ministry of the aggressor country. In March 2023, the man returned home – to his native village of Novy Burets. He immediately began threatening his neighbors, in particular with murder, and soon after that he came to the pensioner, stabbed her and abused her body. The court found the man guilty of threatening to kill, rape and murder.

“The case received a lot of attention, and Yevgeny Prigozhin (leader of Wagner, who is presumed dead – UNIAN) had to personally comment on the incident. He stated that Wagner is ready to help law enforcement agencies with any PMC fighter, and suggested sending a “recruiting group” to the violent repeat offenders, who will send them to the front – where they should vent their aggression,” the publication says.

Journalists suggest that this is the first case of a recruited prisoner escaping punishment for a second time by going to a war zone.

According to Meduza, after Rossomakhin’s arrest in March 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin said that Wagner had stopped recruiting prisoners.

“In April 2024, Rossomakhin was sentenced to 22 years and ordered to pay the victim’s relatives two million rubles. Later, the term was increased to 23 years. But Rossomakhin spent less than six months in prison – he signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry and went to the front again,” Meduza writes.

“Feats” of Wagnerites in Russia

Earlier in the Russian Federation, a “Wagnerite” who had been pardoned by Vladimir Putin for his previous crimes killed and robbed a muezzin , a mosque attendant. The crime in the Saratov Region was committed by 36-year-old Rail Khairov, who was a member of the so-called “SVO”. Khairov went to war from a penal colony, where he was serving a sentence for attempted murder and arson. For his “military merits”, he was pardoned by Putin, but upon returning from the front, he took up his old ways.

(C)UNIAN 2024