A Russian soldier allegedly killed a comrade and fed on his body for two weeks while on the front lines, according to reports from the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR). Some fellow soldiers reportedly confirmed the grisly affair, saying that the man, nicknamed “Brelok,” beat the victim to death before feeding on his remains.
According to Ukrainian intelligence investigations, many Russian units deployed in frontline fighting are composed of convicted criminals, enlisted under the so-called “special military operation” in exchange for commutation of their sentences.
In May 2024, it emerged that soldiers released to fight in Ukraine included a cannibal and a rapist-murderer. The Daily Mail reported the case of Dmitry Malyshev, 36, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing three men with particular cruelty, one whose heart he had fried and eaten. The charges included multiple murder, robbery, illicit arms trafficking, and attempted murder of police officers.
Also among the militiamen was Alexander Maslennikov, 38, convicted of rape and double murder. He had dismembered the bodies of two women using an axe and a meat grinder. Malyshev and Maslennikov, photographed together during training, had signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry in October 2023. According to Russian V1 media reports, Malyshev reportedly said that both were fighting “to preserve Russia’s traditional values.”
The Independent also confirms that Vladimir Putin has pardoned several violent criminals, including two other cannibals, to enlist them in Russian troops. These include Denis Gorin, convicted of killing at least four people between 2003 and 2022. Recruited through a private military company linked to the Defense Ministry, Gorin was also known to have consumed the remains of his victims along with his brother, as reported by independent news outlet Sibir Realii, affiliated with Radio Free Europe.
According to neighbor Dmitry Vladimirovich, during the trial Gorin reportedly admitted to eating one of the murdered men, an acquaintance of his. This is the 17th person convicted of murder to be pardoned by the Russian president between 2022 and 2023.
