Russian soldiers returning from Ukraine have killed 107 people since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor over two years ago, the independent investigative news outlet Vyorstka reported Thursday, citing media reports and court filings.
Vyorstka said it tallied up the violent crime convictions of 91 ex-convicts pardoned after fighting in Ukraine and 84 regular soldiers who returned from the front lines.
According to the tally, 76 people were murdered by returning soldiers, 18 died from grievous bodily harm, 11 were killed in car crashes and two others died from drugs they were coerced into using.
Another 100 people were seriously injured by returning soldiers but survived.
In murder cases, it said the courts sentenced former convicts to maximum-security prison terms ranging between 6-11 years and regular soldiers between 7.5-10 years. The sentences increased to 22 years and 20 years, respectively, in concurrent sentences.
The outlet said it believes the real number of crimes committed by returning soldiers is likely higher because courts do not publish every case on their websites and media outlets do not always mention their military experience.
Vyorstka said its tally did not include soldiers it could not verify had fought in Ukraine in the past two years.
Overall, Vyorstka said it was able to find 142 criminal cases involving murder, grievous bodily harm, traffic violations and coercion into drug use on top of the 34 known cases.
