Overview

Over the years of the war, thousands of Russian prisoners have been released. Until autumn 2024, they could sign six-month military contracts and receive a presidential pardon. Some of them had been convicted of serious crimes and thus avoided decades in prison. Among those released was the murderer of Kemerovo student Vera Pekhteleva — her parents learned about his freedom only six months later. We filmed the stories of victims whose mothers lost track of the convicted killers and still do not know where they are. We also spoke with two former offenders who returned from the front and are now trying to live as ordinary citizens.