SVO Veterans Kill and Rape After Returning from the Front

Across Russia, veterans of the war in Ukraine—many of them pardoned criminals—are returning home and committing horrific crimes. In this episode, we follow the stories of convicted murderers and rapists who were released to fight and came back to kill again. From a hostel murder in St. Petersburg to the strangling of a 7-year-old girl in Perm, to the stabbing of elderly neighbors in Krasnodar Krai, the violence is mounting. Experts warn that PTSD, alcoholism, and impunity are driving a national crisis—and the justice system isn’t stopping it. Content warning: extreme violence, murder, child victims, sexual violence.