Wagner’s convict soldiers are back in Russia and accused of murders

Two Russian murder convicts who were conscripted as soldiers for the Wagner mercenary group to fight in Ukraine have been accused of new killings after being released.

Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said that of the estimated 40,000 convicted criminals conscripted into service, there were about 5,000 men who survived six months of service and have since been pardoned and released.

Among them were Georgiy Siukayev, a killer who was freed last autumn, and Ivan Rossomakhin, a recent returnee who cut his murder sentence short by eight years by fighting for the Kremlin.

Siukayev now stands accused of killing Soslan Valiyev, 38, while Rossomakhin is accused of killing 85-year-old Yulia Buiskich, among the latest crimes believed to have been perpetrated by former Wagner mercenaries, The Guardian reported.

Wagner is a private military company founded by Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch and a close confidant of Putin, who is overseeing 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, including convicts enlisted for the war.

Earlier this year, Putin signed legislation to make it illegal to publicly criticize Wagner fighters or publish negative reports about them, with Prigozhin vowing to help the former prisoners whenever they have a run in with the police.

Valiyev, a beloved fixture of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, in Georgia, was murdered on April 17.

Local journalist Alik Puhati told the Guardian the town was in total shock over the murder, with video circulating of a man chasing and kicking Valiyev before stabbing him to death.

Police arrested Siukayev shortly after, identifying him as one of the Wagner conscripts who was released despite being a convicted murder.

Prigozhin has gone on to say that his former mercenary acted in self-defense in the killing of Valiyev.

Neighbors, however, dispute the claim, noting that Valiyev was a man who famously got along with nearly everyone in the town and could often be seen waving at visitors coming into Tskhinvali.

Like Siukayev, Rossomakhin also returned to his hometown of Novyj Burets after being released from prison. He was originally sentenced to 10 years behind bars in 2020 for murder.

The return of the convict put his community on edge, with police chief Vadim Varankin promising to kick out that “problematic troublemaker” during a town hall meeting on March 28.

The following day, however, Rossomakhin allegedly broke into Buiskich’s home and killed the 85-year-old with an ax.

A close relative, who spoke to the Guardian under condition of anonymity due to the law, put the death of the beloved grandmother squarely on the Kremlin.

“The state and personally Putin and Prigozhin are to blame for Yulia’s death and should answer for it,” the relative said. “They released a sick bastard into society.”