Stanislav Ionkin was serving a 20-year prison sentence for the murder of 15 people in a fire when he was offered an early release. In exchange for his freedom, he would join the frontline in the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
According to the Russian state-owned news agency TASS, Ionkin was convicted in March for his role in a tragic fire at the Poligon nightclub in Kostroma, central Russia.
The incident occurred on November 5, 2022, when Ionkin fired a flare gun multiple times inside the Poligon nightclub following a dispute with other partygoers. The flares which quickly ignited a blaze in the enclosed space, rapidly engulfing the entire venue. The fire claimed the lives of 15 people and left dozens more injured.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the nightclub did not meet legal fire safety standards.
The 23-year-old former soldier was found guilty of murder, intentionally causing bodily harm, destruction of property, and hooliganism, and was sentenced to 20 years in a maximum-security penal colony.
Despite the severity of his crimes, Ionkin has now signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry, allowing him to leave prison early to join the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Before the nightclub incident, Ionkin had already served on the frontlines in Ukraine but was sent back to Russia after sustaining injuries.
Stanislav Ionkin is only one of thousands of Russian prisoners who have been granted early release in exchange for enlisting in the Russian military or joining mercenary organizations like the Wagner Group to fight in Ukraine. This practice has raised serious ethical and legal concerns, as it involves releasing individuals convicted of serious crimes to participate in military operations.
The decision to allow convicts to return to combat has sparked controversy, with critics questioning the implications of deploying convicted murderers to the frontlines.
