Russia sees historic rise in military convictions for murder in 2023

In 2023, in Russia, as many as 116 military personnel were convicted of murder. This figure is almost six times higher than before the conflict against Ukraine began.

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In Russia, 116 military personnel were convicted of murder in 2023, according to last year's data published by the Russian Department of Judiciary of the Supreme Court. As reported by the independent portal Mediazona, the number of murder cases involving military personnel reached a historic high.

Throughout last year, 98 military personnel were found guilty of murder under circumstances that did not aggravate their cases. "Another 18 were convicted with a stricter qualification that calls for a life sentence," Mediazona reports.

The individuals mentioned were convicted under Article 105 of the criminal code, which penalises premeditated murder. Cases involving accidental death, for instance, due to careless handling of firearms, are not counted in this statistic.

For comparison, in 2021, courts convicted 21 military personnel of murder, and in 2022, the number was 13.

Court statistics also highlight an increase in cases of serious bodily harm, rising from 50 in 2022 to 133 in 2023.

Many of the convicted military personnel are mercenaries affiliated with the Wagner Group. This is hardly surprising, considering that this private military company significantly recruited convicts of severe crimes, offering them a way out of prison.

In March in Moscow, a former convict who joined the Wagner Group was arrested. The man savagely murdered his partner after returning from the conflict in Ukraine. According to investigators, 51-year-old Wagner Group fighter Sergei Mironov severed the ear of his 42-year-old partner before stabbing her at least 15 times. Ultimately, he called the police himself.