In this episode, we uncover a disturbing case from Ufa, where supermarket security guards crossed the line from protection to brutal violence. What started as a response to shoplifting turned into a criminal operation involving kidnapping, torture, robbery, and sexual assault. Victims were detained, beaten, humiliated, and even attacked in their own homes — all by men who were supposed to keep order.

We break down how this group operated for years, why victims were afraid to speak out, and how the system allowed such abuse to continue. This is not just a story about crime — it’s a story about power, fear, and what happens when authority goes unchecked.

This episode delves into the shocking rise of crimes committed by veterans of Russia’s Special Military Operation (SVO). These incidents, ranging from violent assaults to cold-blooded murders, highlight the troubling effects of the conflict on those who fought on the front lines. We examine multiple cases, including horrific attacks in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and discuss the legal and social implications of sending thousands of released criminals to the war zone.

In a horrific incident that has left the village of Vpered in Bashkiria shaken, five young children tragically lost their lives in a fire that also claimed the life of their mother’s partner. Julia Lavrentyeva, a mother of eight, rushed home after feeling a sense of dread, only to find her children and partner already gone. The fire, which reportedly started due to a faulty ceiling, raises serious questions about safety and the role of child protection services. This tragedy has left the community devastated and searching for answers, as investigations continue into the causes of the blaze.

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we investigate disturbing reports that severely wounded Russian soldiers — including amputees and men declared unfit for service — are being forced back into military units and sometimes even sent to the front again. Through the stories of Ivan Topchiy, Dmitry Mishin, Yevgeny Nazarov, and Sergey Sapozhnikov, the episode reveals how injured troops struggle to obtain discharge, medical treatment, or basic legal protection. Lawyers and military bloggers warn that the practice has become widespread since late 2024. As the number of disabled veterans grows into the hundreds of thousands, many wounded soldiers face a grim reality: even losing a limb may not be enough to escape the war.

Russia is facing a surge in violent crime — the worst in more than a decade. Authorities admit that one of the key factors is the war and the return of fighters from the front, many of whom were previously convicted criminals released from prison in exchange for military service. In this episode, we examine some of the most shocking cases: a veteran who killed his pregnant girlfriend, a former Wagner mercenary who murdered three acquaintances with a crowbar, and the brutal rape and murder of an eleven-year-old girl by a pardoned fighter. We also tell the story of an elderly woman beaten to death during a robbery by another returning combatant. Lawyers and criminologists warn that the country may only be seeing the beginning of a much larger wave of violence. As thousands more fighters return home, Russia is confronting a disturbing question: what happens when men shaped by war and protected by pardons come back into civilian life?

Vladimir Seliverstov spent nearly 40 years in prison for brutal murders — yet he kept being released. Each time he returned to his village, someone else died. In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we tell the shocking story of a serial killer who mutilated his victims, cut off fingers and lips, and terrified an entire community. Why did the Russian justice system repeatedly allow a man responsible for at least nine deaths to walk free? And how many lives could have been saved if he had received life imprisonment earlier?

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we examine the shocking murder of seven-year-old Amelia in Sochi. Igor Savvateev — a previously convicted criminal and participant in the war in Ukraine — was found guilty of beating the child to death with a leather belt. Investigators say the abuse lasted for months and included brutal beatings and cigarette burns. Even more disturbing, Amelia’s mother allegedly waited nearly a week before calling an ambulance as the girl slowly died from her injuries. Neighbors had repeatedly reported screaming and suspected violence, and child protection services had visited the apartment — yet nothing stopped the tragedy. Two years later, a jury finally delivered its verdict, but for Amelia’s family the question remains: how could so many warning signs be ignored before it was too late?

n this episode of From Russia with Fear, we tell the tragic story of Olga Ponomareva, a woman from Bashkortostan who died after a brutal attack by her partner, Arthur Matveev. What started as an online romance slowly turned into years of jealousy, violence, and fear. Despite repeated abuse and several attempts to seek help, Olga continued to believe her partner would change.

But one violent outburst ended in tragedy. After beating Olga so severely that her internal organs ruptured, Matveev refused to call an ambulance. For three days she lay dying while he watched and did nothing. By the time doctors arrived, it was too late. Olga fell into a coma and later died in hospital, leaving behind two young children.

Investigators later charged Matveev with causing grievous bodily harm that led to death. In court he tried to claim the injuries were accidental and even asked for house arrest. The judge refused.

This episode explores the deadly cycle of domestic abuse, the warning signs that were ignored, and the devastating consequences when violence inside the home goes unchecked.

A dispute inside a communal apartment in Saint Petersburg turns into a chilling murder plot. School accountant Galina Lysenko allegedly hired a homeless man to kill her neighbor Tatiana Tanik over a long-running housing conflict. But the supposed hitman chose to go to the police instead. In this episode, we explore how property disputes inside Russia’s communal apartments can escalate into violence — and how another pensioner in the Leningrad region tried a similar plan, only to be caught in a police sting operation. Two murder plots, two communal apartments, and one disturbing question: how far will people go for a few square meters of property?

In this episode of From Russia with Fear, we tell the story of two elderly pensioners who say they are living in constant fear inside their own apartment. Their son-in-law, Alexey Vasilevich, was once convicted of murder, later received a presidential pardon, and fought in the war as a Wagner mercenary. After returning from the front, he obtained a share of the family apartment and, according to the pensioners, began threatening and terrorizing them.

Igor Tedeev, who suffers from cancer, and his wife now hide in a small bedroom of their two-room apartment to avoid conflict. The couple say the man insults them, threatens violence, and has already been convicted once for beating his own wife. Police visits and complaints have not changed the situation, and criminal cases are repeatedly refused due to “lack of evidence.”

The pensioners say they even considered moving to a nursing home to escape the danger, but medical needs and high costs made that impossible. Now they remain trapped in the same apartment with a man they believe capable of violence at any moment.

This episode explores how pardoned convicts who fought in the war sometimes return home with a sense of impunity — and how families and neighbors can become the next victims.