Long before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, human rights organizations in Russia had called for tougher measures to stop men’s violence against women. Now several organizations are sounding the alarm that the situation may worsen when war veterans return home from the war.
More women are testifying about the abuse by violent men who return home from the war, reports AFP, who interviewed two vulnerable women.
Threatened to burn her with acid
One of the victims of violence is Olga, who wants to remain anonymous and is actually called something else. Her life has long been characterized by violence, with a man who regularly raped and beat her, she tells AFP.
When her husband volunteered for the Russian army in October 2022, Olga hoped that the proximity of “death and tears” would calm him down and sober him up. But hope was dashed when he returned earlier than planned from the front after suffering a shrapnel wound.
After seven months at war, he became even worse and Olga tells about how the man threatened her.
“I’m going to cut off your head and hands and beat you. I’m going to burn you in acid,” he told her.
He considered himself a war hero with a sense of impunity, says Olga.
– He became even more radical, says Olga.
Returned from the Wagner Group with drug problems
A Wagner soldier returning home from the front had developed a drug addiction during his time in the field and had become increasingly aggressive. His ex-wife, Nadezhda told AFP she waited to seek help after he returned home.
– We had gotten used to the nightmare, we lived with it and didn’t think it was that serious, says Nadezhda.
Finally, she fled when she was worried about the lives of her children. A police officer helped her fill out a report against her ex-husband. To her surprise, he was arrested.
– There is always a feeling that he is out there with a knife, it is so imprinted in my head, says Nadezhda.
Penalty reduced for perpetrators of violence
According to AFP, several activists state that there are shortcomings in the legal protection for women and a poor motivation among the authorities to hunt down the male suspects. Victims then become less inclined to report the incidents.
In 2017, the sentence was also reduced for Russians convicted of beating family members. The Kremlin under Vladimir Putin has argued in recent years that domestic abuse should be resolved by families and not by law enforcement.