The Uncertain Reintegration of Ukraine War Veterans: Russias Complex Aftermath

When President Vladimir Putin referred to the veterans of the war in Ukraine as “the elite who defend the Motherland,” he portrayed them as a generation poised to guide Russia into its future.

“It’s not daunting to entrust the country to individuals like this,” he remarked.

However, the return of Russian soldiers from Ukraine is already creating tensions within families and communities, with an uptick in violent crimes alarming the public. With approximately 700,000 men still engaged in combat, the nation now faces a much bigger challenge: what will occur when they all return home.

“War veterans frequently struggle to reintegrate into civilian life, even with psychological support and rehabilitation programs available,” Dr. Jenny Mathers, an expert in international politics from Aberystwyth University, explained to The Moscow Times.

“The lack of such support for numerous Russian war veterans, coupled with societal pressures on men to exhibit specific masculine traits — such as strength and suppressing vulnerable emotions like sadness or fear — will exacerbate these challenges,” Mathers added, noting her research on Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Incidents of returned soldiers engaging in criminal activities are increasingly prevalent.

In a recent instance, Alexei Marchukov, a soldier on leave, was convicted of murdering his wife on their wedding night in the Tyumen region. He received a sentence of 12.5 years in a high-security penal facility.

Records from the court indicate that Marchukov, intoxicated after his wedding celebrations, fatally stabbed his wife following a dispute. His sister testified that he had previously enlisted in the military to avoid imprisonment after multiple arrests for misconduct.

After his sentencing, he reportedly expressed to the court his desire to return to the front lines, highlighting the cycle between Russia’s military fronts and its prisons.

Recruitment of convicts by the Russian military began under the Wagner mercenary group in mid-2022, offering prisoners pardons in return for six months of military service. The Defense Ministry assumed control of this practice in early 2023.

Analysts warn that this policy is sowing the seeds for future criminal activity.

The war “is already impacting the nation’s crime rates and will inevitably continue to shape criminality going forward,” stated Villy Maslov, a researcher at the Ural Law Institute of the Interior Ministry, who examined the war’s effect on crime statistics from 2019 to 2023.

He suggested that it is “only a matter of time” before released inmates commit additional crimes and emphasized that their reintegration into society is unlikely without governmental support.

Currently, there are no compulsory psychological or mental health evaluations for soldiers returning from combat.

Experts caution that in some cases, the interval between sentencing and deployment was brief — raising fears that these fighters may vent their frustrations on those involved in their legal proceedings once they return.

In March, the Foundation for the Support of Victims of Crime urged an end to the practice of granting pardons to those convicted of serious offenses in exchange for combat in Ukraine.

Moreover, Nina Ostanina, head of the State Duma’s Family Protection Committee, proposed in 2024 that ex-convicts be placed under continuous supervision upon returning from their service.

However, neither proposal has been acted upon.

Similar to Marchukov’s situation, Mathers noted that “there is a well-documented correlation between soldiers returning from active duty in conflict zones and an increase in domestic violence within their households.”

“Numerous studies have been conducted in the United States examining American soldiers returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11, and there’s also evidence from other nations supporting the theory that families of soldiers returning from battle face heightened risks of abuse from their husbands and fathers,” she told The Moscow Times.

Approximately 500 individuals have reportedly been victims of violent crimes committed by soldiers returning from Ukraine, including 378 fatalities and another 376 suffering severe injuries, according to the exiled news outlet Vyorstka’s February report.

The Kremlin is well aware of these risks. Reports indicate that Putin has identified the return of soldiers as a potential threat to social stability, as noted by Reuters, which cited three sources connected to the Kremlin.

One source informed Reuters that the goal is to prevent a repeat of the social unrest that followed the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan, when veterans returned to a lack of support and contributed to the rise of organized crime during the chaotic 1990s.

To mitigate public concern, the Kremlin has instructed state-affiliated media to minimize coverage of crimes committed by veterans, as reported by the exiled news website Meduza.

This week, Putin stated that there are currently over 700,000 Russian soldiers on the front lines. Sergei Novikov, a senior Kremlin official, indicated in June that around 137,000 soldiers have already returned home.

However, the exact number of recruited prisoners remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands. It is also unclear how many have made the transition back to civilian life.

Financial challenges also exist, as soldiers can earn significantly higher wages on the battlefield than in civilian jobs. A recruit in Moscow, for example, earns about 5.2 million rubles ($62,600) within their first year of service, more than double the city’s average annual salary.

Most of the soldiers who have returned were described as “young people” in need of employment, as per Kremlin official Novikov, emphasizing that “they need to come back in a manner that does not diminish their family’s income.”

The repatriation of thousands of men from combat could also spark a mental health crisis in Russia, experts warn.

“The traumatic memories of the horrific experiences these soldiers will have had, including the terrible actions they may have taken against others,” could lead to maladaptive coping strategies such as substance abuse, self-harm, and suicide, Mathers noted.

Russian soldiers often endure harsh treatment at the hands of their fellow comrades in the field. Reports mention “pits” at military training facilities where soldiers who break rules or refuse to fight are detained and sometimes subjected to torture.

Servicemen drafted after the mobilization in September 2022 have reported such detention centers in regions like Bryansk, Volgograd, and Orenburg, as well as occupied areas in Ukraine, specifically Donetsk and Luhansk.

While the Defense Ministry and state-sponsored programs offer rehabilitation initiatives, even officials concede that soldiers do not always recognize their need for psychological support.

Nikolai Khlyzov, the human rights commissioner for the Zabaikalsky region in Siberia, remarked that returning combatants are often reluctant to seek therapy and urged them to consult with psychologists alongside their family members.

“They say: ‘What, am I sick? What if they place me on some kind of registry — then I could lose my driver’s license and be unable to find work’,” Khlyzov recounted.

The Russian government has been working to enhance the public perception of veterans, portraying them as heroes and even encouraging them to seek positions in government.

During this month’s nationwide vote, around 1,600 veterans ran for office across the country, with more than 800 of them winning seats at various levels of governance.

However, critics contend that this official endorsement risks normalizing violence.

“The Russian state’s focus on the heroism of soldiers and returning war veterans, along with its plans to elevate them as the nation’s new elite, will reinforce the notion that they will not face repercussions for violent behavior,” Mathers cautioned.

“Ultimately, Russian society will undergo significant changes as a consequence of this conflict,” she concluded.