Convicts returning from Ukraine 'will unleash hell' on Russia, warns Putin mouthpiece

Criminals released from prisons to take part in 's war on Ukraine are poised to go on the rampage if they are allowed to return as part of a prisoner exchange, a Putin-backing propagandist has claimed. Nadana Fridrikhson's assessment was swiftly highlighted by former Ukrainian interior ministry official Anton Geraschenko, who suggested they were proof that the Russian President does not even want the convicts to come back - despite the high-profile deal done earlier this month.

In her video, shared via X, she asked: "Should we, Russia, as part of the exchange, take back the surviving convicts who were assaultmen and ended up in Ukrainian captivity? Should we take them back?" She continued: "We already have a problem in various regions where convicts participated in the SMO [Special Military Operation], survived, returned home and are once again terrorising their neighbours, relatives and loved ones. Behaving in ways that are difficult to comprehend.

"But now they are adding: 'I fought for you'.

"If we take them back from the captivity then frankly speaking a piece of hell could sweep across our country.

"Maybe we should leave them to the Ukrainian side."

Mr Geraschenko commented: "I've written several times before that Putin doesn't want any of the 'SMO' soldiers to ever return home."

Fridrikhson's claim comes against the backdrop of widespread reports of violent crimes committed by ex-convicts who were pardoned by the Kremlin after signing up to fight.

In 2023, Russian media detailed a string of brutal killings, assaults and domestic attacks carried out by former Wagner Group mercenaries and other prisoner-soldiers.

In one particularly shocking case in the Kemerovo region, a man convicted of double murder - and later released to fight - was arrested again after allegedly stabbing a woman to death just weeks after returning from the front.

The situation has sparked alarm in several regions, with some governors reportedly urging the Kremlin to prevent returning fighters from re-entering their communities.

Emily Ferris, Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told Express.co.uk that Russia had "unleashed a long-term threat to its own internal security."

She said: "These prisoners were recruited not because of their loyalty, but because they were considered expendable.

"Now they are returning with combat experience, often traumatised, and with a sense of entitlement.

"The Russian state is not set up to reintegrate them properly - and some regional authorities are already struggling to cope."

She added: "There's a clear danger that these men will destabilise already fragile communities, particularly in poorer regions where social services are weak and crime is already high."

Ukraine's military intelligence service has also accused Russia of treating convicts as expendable.

A report published by the Defence Intelligence Directorate in Kyiv said that units made up of ex-prisoners often suffered casualty rates of more than 70%, and were frequently used in high-risk assaults with minimal planning or support.

The same report claimed that Russian commanders at times deliberately placed these men in "kill zones" to avoid having to bring them back alive.