Russian veterans returning from Ukraine continue committing domestic crimes inside Russia

Nearly four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, returning war veterans are creating a new wave of violence within the country.

According to an in-depth investigation by the independent media outlet Vyorstka, which reviewed hundreds of publicly available court rulings, Russian servicemen returning from the front have killed at least 551 people and seriously injured 465 others inside Russia.

In total, more than 1,000 people have fallen victim to these incidents, most of which occurred during family or personal conflicts.

Most of the victims are relatives or acquaintances of the perpetrators. About half of the crimes were linked to alcohol or drug use, reflecting a recurring pattern of disputes escalating into fatal violence. Among the killings, 274 were classified as intentional murders, 163 victims died from severe bodily injuries, 78 from traffic accidents caused by veterans, and 36 from other criminal incidents, including drug-related cases.

A significant portion of the perpetrators—more than half of those involved in deaths and injuries—were former prisoners recruited from Russian penal institutions to fight in Ukraine, often in exchange for sentence pardons. At least 163 of the victims and 252 of the seriously injured were harmed by these ex-convicts, many of whom had a history of serious criminal offenses.

Russian courts have handled these cases with considerable leniency. From more than 700 court rulings examined by Vyorstka, around 90% cited participation in the “special military operation” in Ukraine as a mitigating factor.

Judges frequently referred to state medals, veteran status, wartime injuries or “military merits” to reduce sentences. In nearly a quarter of the cases, the “unlawful” or “immoral” behavior of the victims was used as justification for leniency. Meanwhile, intoxication—present in 486 cases—was disregarded as an aggravating factor in more than 326 of them.

Investigators from Vyorstka emphasize that the real number of crimes could be significantly higher. Since the war began, garrison military courts have almost completely stopped publishing rulings in such cases. Often, identifying details are removed, information about military service is erased, or the decisions are deleted after publication.

While the Russian president claims that more than 700,000 troops are currently deployed in Ukraine, authorities say only around 140,000 soldiers have so far returned to civilian life. This relatively small number of returnees suggests the problem may worsen dramatically in the future, as hundreds of thousands more veterans return home, often without adequate psychological or social support to cope with the trauma of war.

The investigation sheds light on a growing social crisis in Russia, where state-promoted “heroes” are increasingly becoming a threat to their own communities.

As the war continues, Russian society faces the long-term consequences of a conflict leaving deep scars not only in Ukraine but also within Russia’s own borders./The Geopost.