Wagner mercenaries pardoned by Putin are returning – and terrorizing their home towns

Several Wagner mercenaries pardoned by Vladimir Putin have apparently murdered in their home communities.

The places are in shock.

Tskhinvali - Tskhinvali was shocked to learn that Soslan Valiyev, also known as Tsguri, had been killed.

A video released on Telegram channels shows a man chasing and kicking Tsugri just before allegedly stabbing him.

The recordings cannot be checked independently.

"Everyone is in shock," journalist Alik Puhati told the

.

"People are asking, 'How did this happen?'" Local authorities announced in the early hours of Tuesday (April 18) that they had arrested a man suspected of murdering Tsugri.

The man identified by state media is a convicted murderer.

He was recruited from prison last fall by the Wagner paramilitary organization to fight in Ukraine.

also

reported on the case.

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Soldiers of the Wagner mercenary unit in action in the Ukraine war.

© IMAGO/Viktor Antonyuk

Wagner recruited tens of thousands of prisoners in the war against Ukraine

During the course of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Wagner recruited tens of thousands of prisoners, including murderers and domestic abusers.

However, many of them died in the war.

Those who survived the six months in the group's ranks were pardoned by Vladimir Putin and are now returning to their hometowns.

According to the notorious Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, more than 5,000 former criminals have already been released.

One of them was the now suspect, who recently returned to his hometown of Tskhinvali.

Their release has fueled fears that the men will commit more crimes.

Tsugri's murder wasn't the first allegedly committed by a pardoned inmate-turned-Wagner fighter.

In late March, Yulia Buiskich, an 85-year-old pensioner, was killed at her home in the sleepy town of Novyj Burets in the Kirov region.

Again, the perpetrator was a repeat offender.

He was also recruited by Prigozhin and only recently returned to his hometown after fighting in Ukraine.

Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness

Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness

Wagner soldiers worry Russian citizens

The news of his return worried the modest community of Novyi Burets of a few hundred people and led to a town meeting that was recorded by a local TV station.

During the meeting, Police Chief Vadim Varankin promised that "problematic troublemaker" Rossomakhin would be taken out of the city on March 28.

List of rubrics: © IMAGO/Viktor Antonyuk