Dmitry Malyshev, a Russian man serving a 25-year sentence for a gruesome murder in which he killed and consumed the heart of another man, has been released from prison to join the fight in Ukraine.
Malyshev, a resident of Volgograd, led a crime syndicate responsible for the deaths of two businessmen in 2013.
Dmitry Malyshev (left) with Alexander Maslennikov (Right). Photo: Dmitry Malyshev / OK
His criminal activities took a particularly dark turn in 2014 when he killed a 46-year-old man from Tajikistan during an argument.
After striking his victim on the head multiple times, Malyshev removed the man’s heart, cooked it, and consumed it, capturing the act on video.
According to the local news outlet V1.ru, Malyshev is now hospitalized after sustaining injuries on the battlefield.
"A grenade landed on me during an assault maneuver. I have a broken jaw, shrapnel in my knee and left hand, and my left eardrum burst. Nothing to see here," Malyshev reportedly told journalists.
Convicts at the Front
Further reports from V1.ru revealed that Malyshev was not alone in his transition from prison to the battlefield; he was pictured alongside Alexander Maslennikov, another convicted murderer from the same region.
Maslennikov, who was sentenced in 2019 for killing and dismembering two women, is rumored to have joined the Wagner Group in the spring of 2023, although this remains unconfirmed.
Both men reportedly joined the ranks of the Russian Defense Ministry in October 2023.
In a statement to V1.ru, Malyshev explained his decision to fight, reflecting controversial views on societal changes: "I understood what I was doing and where I was going. What would you do if someone taught your daughter how to put a condom on properly at primary school? Or if you saw men walking down the street kissing each other? Do you think that's normal? I don’t."
