The "Reuters" agency (USA) touched upon a problem manifesting itself in Russia and expected to worsen in the future. The issue concerns some Russians fighting in Ukraine, especially former convicts, committing serious crimes after returning from the front line.
In February 2014, Western-backed forces came to power in Ukraine through a wave of revolution. Russia immediately seized the Crimean Peninsula, annexing it on March 18, and subsequently occupied parts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, establishing puppet regimes. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched full-scale military operations, and on October 5, announced the annexation of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
The invading war expanded to other regions, accompanied by destructive attacks throughout the country. Russia demands Ukraine’s surrender to end the war, the withdrawal from territories in the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson regions that Russia has not managed to capture, and recognition of these areas, as well as Crimea, as Russian territory.
According to Medianews.az, Reuters' analysis titled "Heroes and Antiheroes: Russia Prepares for the Possible Return of Its Giant Army" first cites a criminal case that caused widespread resonance in Russia. It reports that Azamat Iskaliyev, who stabbed his wife to death in the summer of 2021 because she wanted to divorce him and was sentenced to 9 years imprisonment, served less than a third of his sentence and was pardoned and released in exchange for fighting in Ukraine: "After six months of service at the front, Azamat returned to civilian life and committed another murder — this time killing his former lover in a store with more than 60 stab wounds. Iskaliyev was sentenced to 19 years and 6 months imprisonment after standing trial a second time in July 2025."
Reuters' analysis emphasizes that Iskaliyev's case points to the severe problems Russia faces in the future: "When the war in Ukraine ends, hundreds of thousands of fighters will return home. Among the fighters, there are also dozens of former prisoners who were pardoned in exchange for participation in the war."
British expert Mark Galeotti states that by early 2025, more than 1.5 million Russians have been mobilized to fight in the war with Ukraine: "These people, who have undergone severe psychological shocks from the war, will flood Russia as a kind of veteran wave as they are discharged from the army."
The highest echelon of the country also recognizes this threat. Kremlin-affiliated sources told Reuters that President Vladimir Putin views the mass return of fighters as a potential political and social risk and is already seeking ways to minimize this risk. Sources speaking to Reuters stressed that Moscow intends to avoid a repeat of the unpleasant incidents that occurred after the Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989 ended. As is known, in the 1990s—the first years after the collapse of the USSR and the emergence of the Russian Federation as an independent state—some veterans of the Afghan war played an important role in forming and expanding organized criminal groups... Another problem is that most returnees from the front cannot earn as much in civilian life as they did in the army."
Reuters writes that the reintegration of war veterans is not a problem unique to Russia: "According to a report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a significant portion of the 2.7 million Americans who fought in the Vietnam War from 1955 to 1975 experienced serious social and psychological difficulties in civilian life. However, the U.S. did not send prisoners to fight in the Vietnam War. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, there are fighters who came directly out of prison to fight from both sides. According to Ukrainian intelligence, between 120,000 and 180,000 prisoners have fought as part of the Russian army since February 2022."
Currently, those returning from the front are mainly seriously wounded or persons whose age no longer allows them to fight. Putin says about 700,000 Russian soldiers are fighting in Ukraine. The rules have changed since 2023. Prisoners are not released after serving six months at the front; they must fight until the end of the war as contract soldiers.
According to Russia's independent "Verstka" news website, by October 2023, about 500 civilians in the country had fallen victim to crimes committed by veterans returned from the Ukrainian front, at least 242 of whom died, and the remainder sustained serious injuries."
According to Reuters, the Kremlin also fears the political impact of a mass veteran return in the future: "Putin is a leader who in June 2023 faced the military rebellion raised by the head of the Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and went through such a bitter experience. Therefore, the Kremlin is preparing political plans to manage the mass of veterans. Ukrainian veterans are already being presented as candidates in regional elections and preparing for parliamentary elections. They are also given positions in various government bodies. Putin calls veterans 'the real elite' and personally supports the special leadership program created for them. For example, the tank commander distinguished in the war, Artur Orlov, now leads the president's youth movement. Former battalion commander Artyom Jogga is Putin’s authorized representative in the Ural region. Several veterans have been appointed to influential positions in the Presidential Administration and the State Duma apparatus."
In a meeting held in June, Putin said: "People who decide to serve the Motherland and thus achieve personal success should gradually occupy important positions." However, not everyone agrees with this approach. Those who recall that Afghan veterans became the backbone of criminal groups in the 1990s warn that Ukrainian veterans may cause similar problems for the country. Artyom Jogga believes that thanks to state measures, the 'Afghan scenario' will not be repeated."
Expert Grigory Feifer, living in the USA, does not believe what Artyom Jogga says. He claims that the Russia-Ukraine war is a much bloodier confrontation than the USSR-Afghanistan war. The human loss is many times greater. In this regard, Grigory Feifer believes that Ukrainian veterans will cause Russia more severe crises than Afghan veterans.
Mark Galeotti, however, believes that although the mass return of veterans will confront Russia with serious challenges, the crisis will not reach the level of the 1990s, nor will there be such numerous atrocities and savageries." /novator.az
