Disturbing return of war mad dogs to their homeland
British intelligence agencies believe that the conflict in Ukraine has led to a marked increase in crimes committed by Russian ex-servicemen upon their return home.
The cocktail is dangerous: violence, alcohol, drugs and boredom.
In its latest assessment of the conflict, published on its Social Media Network X account, the UK Ministry of Defense cites information from the Russian opposition-linked Mediazone portal, which details that 116 Russian servicemen were convicted of murder in 2023, a figure up 900% compared to the previous year, when 13 servicemen were convicted.
Among the cases cited by British intelligence is that of a former Wagner mercenary sentenced to 22 years in prison for raping and murdering an elderly woman after completing his combat tour.
According to the UK, "these high figures are probably due in part to chronic and poorly treated mental health problems arising from war,” including ‘post-traumatic stress disorder and desensitization to violence’.
“Alcoholism and drug use due to low morale and boredom are likely to be contributing factors,” notes the report, which also points to the additional problem posed by the return from the general population of ex-prisoners employed in combat, who have ‘a pre-existing propensity for criminality and extreme violence’.
(MH with FM/Source: X/Photo: Valery Teneyov/Unsplash)