Russian TV gave him airtime: Michael Popkow killed 78 people.
Now there should be even more.
He wants to go to the Ukraine war.
New York – Putin is running out of soldiers.
Now the head of the Kremlin has received a macabre offer – at least for outsiders: convicted serial killer Michael Popkov would like to fight for Russia in the Ukraine war.
But not too outlandish for the Russian warmonger?
Putin appears to be personally pardoning criminals to fill army staffing shortages, the US Institute for War Studies (ISW) reported.
However, Popkow is a particularly tough case.
The ex-cop Popkov was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2015 for rape and 22 murders.
It is documented that he killed 78 people in Angarsk, Irkutsk and Vladivostok between 1992 and 2010.
If you want to talk about Popkov, you can also say "Angarsk madman" and "werewolf" - under these names he is also known to many.
Nevertheless, Russian television recently granted the 58-year-old airtime for his request.
According to media reports, a reporter asked him there: "What is your biggest dream?" The answer: "To serve in the army." This is reported by fr.de.
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
Russian TV interviews serial killer on Ukraine war
The TV channel was the Vesti News Channel, as reported by the US news magazine
Newsweek
.
In the interview, Popkov referred to his alleged "specialization" in military matters: "My skills are in demand."
Newsweek
received no response to a request to the Russian prison authorities on the Popkov case by the time his report was published (January 18).
20,000 prisoners are probably fighting for Putin in the war of aggression in Ukraine
The serial killer anecdote once again suggests that the infamous “Wagner Group” is growing in influence in the Russian army.
Yevgeny Prigozhin's troops have apparently been recruiting from Russian prisons for some time.
"Don't rape women," Prigozhin is said to have used this tip to set prison mercenaries free.
50,000 Wagner mercenaries are fighting in the Ukraine war – some of the troops are also in command, according to the US government.
There is also another number, from Olga Romanowa.
She heads the organization "Russia behind bars", which campaigns for the rights of prisoners and is currently living in exile in Germany.
Moscow has already sent more than 20,000 Russian prisoners to the front as fighters, the human rights activist said, according to
Newsweek
- that was the number of last October, which is likely to have risen in the meantime.
(frs)
