In October, Denis Stepanov was charged over the killing of two women, after allegedly burning down a house in Siberia.Just days before another man - identified only as "Vladimir V" - was accused of murdering a 4-year-old child.
Intoxicated and brawling with his wife, investigators say he struck her daughter, who later died of the injuries.What these two grizzly cases have in common is both suspects are ex-Wagner fighters.Yet, this is the tip of the iceberg.
Increasingly since June’s failed mutiny, thousands of men from the Russian mercenary group have left Ukraine and come home to roost.Even on the battlefield, they were accused of war crimes including murder, rape and robbery of Ukrainian civilians, as well as torturing and executing deserters.
Now, it seems, some are bringing trouble back with them. While there are no official statistics, several former Wagner troops have been detained or arrested in Russia in recent months over a string of crimes, ranging from extortion to assassination attempts.