Russian Inmate Freed to Fight in Ukraine Now Wanted for Raping a Child

A Russian convict released from prison to take part in the war against Ukraine is now wanted for allegedly raping a child upon his return home.

Alexei Khlebnikov, 36, is at the center of a frantic manhunt in the Volgograd region after the alleged attack, according to local outlet V1.ru. “He’s a Wagnerite. He served there [in Ukraine]. He returned home. The search is on for him but no one knows where he could be. He’s on the loose but they are looking for him,” an unnamed official was quoted as saying.

Khlebnikov was reportedly sentenced to 11 years behind bars at a maximum security prison in 2018 on a murder conviction, but he managed to serve only a fraction of that term thanks to Russia’s prison-recruitment scheme for the war against Ukraine. It’s not clear how long he spent on the battlefield or which prison he was recruited from.

Read more at The Daily Beast.