Russia sent so many men to invade Ukraine that the country’s crime rate dropped shortly after the war began.
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But now their return has caused a new wave of offenses, Bloomberg journalists note.
According to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the number of crimes committed by military personnel not related to the war increased by more than 20% last year. There has been a sharp increase in violent crime, as well as theft and drug-related crimes.
These figures do not take into account the crimes in which tens of thousands of convicts were involved, released from prison to participate in the war under the program created by the Wagner PIK. Their return is an early signal of what could happen when hundreds of thousands of men who spent long periods on the battlefield return to civilian life.
According to Bloomberg calculations based on data from the Russian Supreme Court, the number of sexual crimes against minors in Russia has increased by 62% compared to the pre-war period.
The return of the Wagner bandits to Russia came as a shock to residents of cities and villages, who discovered that among them lived people who they thought were serving long prison sentences. Among those pardoned are people convicted of murder and even cannibalism, the material says.
The law that made it possible to mobilize prisoners quietly abolished the right to pardon after six months of service, forcing criminals who joined the army to remain in it until the end of the war, like others conscripted into the army. However, they return, often resorting to desertion.
According to the Supreme Court, the number of crimes involving military personnel in 2023 increased fourfold – to 4 thousand 409 compared to 2021.
Russian human rights groups estimate that a total of 175,000 former prisoners were mobilized to take part in the fighting against Ukraine.
The post-war surge in crime could cost Russia up to 0.6% of its GDP, said Alex Isakov, a Russian economist at Bloomberg Economics. In addition to direct costs of living and property, the state will face higher costs for social protection and security, especially for the police, he said.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.