MOSCOW, RUSSIA – A shocking revelation has emerged as it was uncovered that a notorious serial killer, Denis Aleksandrovich Zubov, was among the thousands of prisoners released by Vladimir Putin to strengthen his forces. Zubov, who was given a 21-year sentence for murdering three people, including his ex-girlfriend, was reportedly pardoned by Putin and recruited to fight in Ukraine. His death in Ukraine in April 2023 was confirmed through the discovery of his grave and tracking down a death certificate by anti-Putin journalists in Russia.
The release of Zubov, along with 5,000 violent criminals, was part of a deal that allowed them to fight for Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenaries in Ukraine in exchange for pardons from their criminal records. Zubov had initiated his killing spree after discovering his ex-girlfriend, Natalia Ravdina, was dating a new man, Valery Malnik. He brutally murdered Malnik and a 73-year-old woman in a sinister plot.
Following the murders, Zubov got back together with Ravdina before luring her into a forest, where he reportedly strangled and buried her body. His death in Ukraine came at a time when Russia was recruiting reservists for the brutal trench battles in Bakhmut, as the country’s drive to bolster its forces faced challenges amid rumors of low survival odds for soldiers on the front line.
It was reported that the prisoner release deals required convicts to fight for six months in exchange for the complete expunging of their criminal records. The fate of most of these released prisoners was tragic, with many of them perishing in the fighting in Ukraine, while a few managed to survive long enough to be pardoned.
The shocking revelation about Zubov’s release and subsequent death in Ukraine has once again brought to light the disturbing dynamics of the prisoner release program and its impact on the ongoing conflict in the region. It underscores the complex and morally fraught decisions made by political leaders in times of conflict, and the implications of their actions on individuals and society at large.