A convicted murderer released from prison to fight for Vladimir Putin is being hunted as he stands accused of ‘raping’ a teenage girl.
Alexei Khlebnikov, 35, previously acclaimed as a “hero” for his involvement in the Ukrainian war, has gone into hiding in the Volgograd region.
Russian authorities have confirmed that Khlebnikov, a former inmate, is now a federal fugitive suspected of the sexual assault of the young girl, who is presently in intensive care following the incident at a farm.
Khlebnikov had a history of convictions, including the murder of a person using a glass bottle, along with prior instances of theft and robbery.
Despite being sentenced to an 11-year prison term for murder, he was released after less than two years to participate in Putin’s military efforts in Ukraine as part of the Wagner mercenary army, where he was discharged after just six months.
A source told the Mirror: “He served in Wagner then returned home [after serving in the war]. The search is on for him, but he has escaped. A search is underway.”
Another ex-convict, Vyacheslav Samoilov, aged 42, who also participated in the war and has since been released, was previously convicted of the brutal murder and dismemberment of Olga Shlyamina, a former beauty queen contestant and mother, with whom he had a relationship.
Samoilov had concealed the evidence of his crime, disposing of the victim’s remains and the murder weapon.
Samoilov was initially sentenced to nearly a decade in a high-security prison but was permitted to join the war effort before serving a fifth of his term.
His mother, Olga, sparked local outrage in the Arkhangelsk region of Novodvinsk when she proudly announced that her son had returned home, having been granted clemency by Putin.
She said: “He is now clean before God. He is free, he was pardoned. He starts life from a clean slate.”
