Image used for representative purpose. AP
Moscow: A man who beat his own mother to death has become Russia’s hero for defending the country in the Ukraine war.
Sergei Molodtsov, 46, who was serving a sentence in prison before he was released to be drafted, also received military honours at his funeral following his death in Ukraine, a Latvian publication reported.
Who is Sergei Molodtsov?
An ex-Wagner Group member, Molodtsov was sentenced to more than 11 years in a penal colony, but eventually served only five years before getting drafted in the Russian army.
Molodtsov was drunk when he beat his mother to death, breaking her jaw, shoulder, face and head, according to a 2017 conviction verdict.
The head of Serov urban district told Russian media outlet E1 that Molodtsov had joined the Wagner Group, a private mercenary army that has closely been linked to the Kremlin, while he was serving his penal sentence.
Local officials at Serov described the 46-year-old man in a Facebook post as, “happy-go-lucky guy who was always there for those in need of help”.
At his funeral which was held in the eastern foothills of the Ural Mountains, Russian soldiers carried Molodtsov’s casket while military veterans made farewell speeches.
Russia drafts convicts to fight in Ukraine
According to a report by Business Insider, it was revealed last week that the Wagner group has employed as many as 35,000 convicts to serve in its army.
Earlier this month, footage showed Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin releasing the first batch of two dozen former convicts sent to fight in Ukraine.
Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill that allowed criminals to be released from prison in exchange for serving in Moscow’s ‘special military operation’ against Ukraine.
Olga Kovitidi, senator of Crimea said that the law would apply to those criminals who have been charged with “small and medium gravity” crimes, according to Politico.
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