Russia has seen a surge in serious crimes as former convicts return home following military service in Ukraine. The Kremlin has scoured its prisons in a bid to boost its frontline forces, as casualties continue to mount at a horrific rate.

Putin’s army is believed to have lost over one million soldiers – either killed or injured – in just under four years of gruelling warfare. Prisoners have been offered amnesty for their crimes in return for a tour of duty in Ukraine. Many have chosen to take the risk to escape the appalling conditions of life in a Russian penal colony.

Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service estimates that between 140,000 to 180,000 convicts have been drafted by Putin’s army.

Russians have often expressed fears that former convicts will reoffend once they are back home.

Those fears appear to be justified, as new data shows a crime epidemic sweeping across the country since the war started.

The newspaper Mozhem Poznanie (We Can Explain) obtained statistics on crime from Russia’s Interior Ministry. The data show that serious crimes committed by Russian mafia groups has exploded by over a third in the first ten months of 2025.

During that period, Russian mafia groups carried out 44,000 serious crimes – a jump of 33.6% compared to the same time frame in 2024.

The statistics also show that 332,251 “serious and especially serious” crimes were recorded in Russia in the first six months of this year.

This is the highest number in the last fifteen years and 10.4% more than the previous year.

Research carried out by the independent Russian media outlet Verstka shows a worrying trend of soldiers committing violent crimes after their military service.

The media outlet reported that by October 2024 almost 500 civilians had become victims of soldiers returning from fighting in Ukraine.

They said at least 242 people had been killed, and a further 227 were gravely injured, citing data from Russian court records.

Ex-convicts committed these crimes more frequently than other military personnel, and women were disproportionately affected, according to Verstka