Women living near military deployments describe a climate of intimidation that rarely reaches public view.

Reports from independent media point to a pattern of violence, weak accountability and growing anxiety among local residents.

Svetlana was walking her dogs close to her apartment building when a man in military uniform stopped her and pointed a rifle at her chest.

“You’re coming with me or I’ll shoot you,” he allegedly said.

The incident took place on October 28, 2025, near the Ukrainian border. She managed to escape after a neighbour heard a rifle shot.

The attacker fled. Journalists later identified him as Alexei Kostrikin, a repeat offender previously convicted of robbery and theft who had been recruited to fight at the front.

As Insider reported, many soldiers believe they are untouchable. Civilians often avoid confronting them out of fear.

One woman recalled a drunk soldier harassing her on a train from Belgorod to Saint Petersburg. When she rejected him, he shouted, “What do you mean, you don’t want me? I was at the front!”

Russian women are terrified of Putin’s soldiers

Daily stories in the Parisian suburbs, and here it's not Putin's soldiers but the tanned thugs largely invited by socialist demagogues who have ruined my country for over 40 years.

As most of the Russian military now seems to be composed of former prisoners, who is surprised?

Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers who fought against Ukraine could be prohibited from entering the European Union, according to a proposal by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.

At an EU meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Tsahkna said there was information that many Russian soldiers wanted to come to Europe after a possible end to the war.

This would be impossible to explain to citizens, the Estonian minister said. "They are very dangerous people."

A background paper on the proposal seen by dpa said that an estimated 1.5 million Russian nationals have taken part in combat operations since 2022, with around 640,000 still actively deployed.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna speaks to media upon his arrival to attend the Informal Meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers (Gymnich). Johannes Frandsen/European Council/dpa© DPA International

It added that their shared characteristics include combat experience and the use of violence, with probable involvement in war crimes and other atrocities against the Ukrainian population.

Russians who fought against Ukraine could face EU entry ban

"Their possible entry into and presence within the EU carries not only a general risk of violent crime, but represents a major vector for the infiltration of organized crime, extremist movements and hostile state operations across Europe," the authors write.

Former fighters are also particularly easy to recruit for Russian intelligence services.

On 1/29/2026 at 8:35 AM, JimHuaHin said:

As most of the Russian military now seems to be composed of former prisoners, who is surprised?

You can't be serious? Stop watching CNN

1 hour ago, bangadang said:

You can't be serious? Stop watching CNN

The umpire was partly right, John (McEnroe). Seems the number of prisoners serving has increased as the war has dragged on.

what percentage of russian fighting forces in ukraine is composed of prisoners? - Google Search

In 2024, approximately 15% of all new Russian recruits were individuals under criminal investigation, currently imprisoned, or serving suspended sentences.

.This figure was projected to potentially rise to 30% in 2025 as Russia intensified its "creative" recruitment efforts.

According to the Ukrainian "I Want to Live" project, which tracks thousands of Russian POWs, 40% of captured Russian soldiers have a criminal record as of late 2025.

With Putin reporting roughly 700,000 total troops fighting in Ukraine as of early 2026, the cumulative number of recruited convicts represents a massive portion of the personnel flow, though many are placed in high-casualty "Storm-V" penal units where survival rates are low. 

If that's what they are doing to their fellow Russians, can you imagine what they are doing in the Ukraine towns and villages?