A former Russian lawmaker aligned with President Vladimir Putin signed an army contract to fight in Ukraine last month rather than spend 13 years in prison following his conviction in a gangland slaying, according to the independent news agency Verstka.
A Russian court in mid-December overturned the May conviction of Marat Kumukov, a former member of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. He was charged with killing three people as a member of the Storozhevsky criminal gang. The victims were reportedly members of another Russian syndicate.
The killing took place in a private home. Russian officials said Mr. Kumukov was carrying a silenced pistol while the others were armed with machine guns.
He pleaded not guilty to the crime, saying he was at the scene but didn’t shoot anyone. He signed the enlistment contract while in pretrial detention, according to Verstka.
The Storozhevsky gang was one of the most powerful operating in the North Caucasus region of Karachay-Cherkessia.
Mr. Kumukov was arrested after serving a previous enlistment, where he was wounded and decorated for military operations in Ukraine in 2022. He was taken into custody after returning to Russia. By that time, the criminal case against the Storozhevsky gang had been underway for several years, Vertska reported.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of Russians convicted of serious crimes have been able to avoid prosecution if they agree to sign a contract and their cases are suspended or dismissed.
Veterans under the program have been linked to more than 1,000 killings and assaults after returning to Russia, according to Vertska.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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