Pardoning violent convicts might not be a particularly desirable way to get more soldiers onto the battlefield in Ukraine, but for Russian President Vladimir Putin, the alternative would be even worse. Last year’s “partial mobilization” triggered a significant backlash against the Kremlin, and Putin is fearful of a repeat.
SAINT PETERSBURG – In 2014, the former police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the 2006 murder of Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist from the liberal publication Novaya Gazeta. Now, just nine years into his sentence, Khadzhikurbanov has been pardoned, after spending six months fighting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. As far as Putin is concerned, this makes Khadzhikurbanov a patriot.
SAINT PETERSBURG – In 2014, the former police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the 2006 murder of Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist from the liberal publication Novaya Gazeta. Now, just nine years into his sentence, Khadzhikurbanov has been pardoned, after spending six months fighting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. As far as Putin is concerned, this makes Khadzhikurbanov a patriot.