Nine Russian convicts escape military camp, manhunt underway

Nine prisoners escaped from a training ground in the Korochansky area of the Belgorod region in Russia; they had signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense. Three have already been captured, and six are still being pursued. A police operation is ongoing in the region.

The police in Shebekino provided the information. Two of the escapees, Denis Mustyakov and Alexei Gryaziutin, were convicted of murder; three – Roman Ser, Alexander Ivanov, and Alexander Kasatkin – for causing serious bodily harm; another – Nikolai Bagrov – for unlawful imprisonment.

The remaining – Eduard Harutyunyan, Igor Bolonin, and Pavel Migunov – were convicted of theft, fraud, and drug use, respectively.

According to the police, six soldiers escaped from the training ground on July 26, with three more escaping the next day. "A reward of approximately $1,000 is offered for information leading to the location and arrest of the fugitives. The police assume that the prisoners are hiding in Belgorod or Shebekino," writes the local portal PePel.

As "The Moscow Times noted, " Russian Ministry of Defense representatives began "traveling" to penal colonies in the spring of 2023 in search of volunteers to join the war with Ukraine in exchange for presidential pardons.

The Wagner Group previously carried out similar actions. According to this scheme, nearly 50,000 people ended up on the front lines, boasted the group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash. "Of these, 32,000 returned home," he stated in mid-2023.

According to estimates by the Gulagu.net project, based on internal data from the Federal Penitentiary Service, over 100,000 prisoners had been sent to the front from colonies by the end of 2023. The Russian BBC service and Mediazona determined that by July 26, 2024, 12,200 prisoners had died in the war. These names were confirmed and verified.

Russian media also reported on the escape of Yevgeny Zarubin, a trainer for Storm-Z units. He recorded a video in which, in tears, he says that of the 46 people he trained, only 30 returned. "I apologize to those I did not save," he stated.

It is not known if these escapes are connected.