A convicted Russian murderer has reportedly been released from prison to rejoin the war

A former Russian prisoner sentenced to 23 years in prison for the murder and rape of an 85-year-old woman has reportedly been released from a reformatory colony to fight again in Ukraine.

On August 26, Russian news channel Ostorozhno Novosti published on Telegram a letter it claimed to have received from the human rights organization Traumapunkt, which represents the pensioner's family.

The letter allegedly came from a prison warden and stated that inmate Ivan Rossomakhin, who had been sentenced to prison until 2046, had been released to serve his sentence in Ukraine.

Travmpunkt wrote on Telegram that relatives had been informed of Rossomachin's release by Ivan Polovnikov, the head of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service for the Kirov region. The victim's granddaughter confirmed the news to the BBC.

She told the newspaper she was afraid of the release of the man who had done “monstrous” things to her grandmother. “The fact that this is happening in the 21st century… there are no words that can describe what is happening!” she reportedly said.

According to court documents, Rossomakhin, now 29, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for murder in 2020. However, in 2022 he was released after serving just two years after agreeing to join the Wagner Group, a private military organization known for recruiting convicts to fight in Ukraine, according to the Associated Press (AP).

After returning to his hometown in the Kirov region of northern Russia, he reportedly spread fear and terror among the residents by threatening them with death.

According to AP, police promised residents that Rossomachin would soon return to the Wagner group. But before he could do so, he was arrested again, this time on suspicion of murdering an 85-year-old pensioner.

He was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the rape and murder of the elderly woman, the BBC reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing prisoners convicted of murder to join the military in 2022. The Wagner Group was initially the recruiting force behind the recruitment of inmates from Russian prisons, offering them a chance at freedom in exchange for fighting in Ukraine. Newsweek previously reported.

Some have been officially pardoned for their service in Ukraine, but return to their homeland to commit further crimes. The New York Times reported.

This comes as Putin is under fire for his response to the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, which saw Ukraine seize significant territory from Russia – its biggest success since the conflict began in February 2022.

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