Introduction
The unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine began on Thursday, February 24, 2022. The war, ongoing now for over two and a half years, grinds along at a stalemate-like pace. Horrible waste, destruction, displacement, injury, and death continue, as illustrated by the above photograph. Being numb to the frequent and tragic media reports is understandable. Early in the war, on a daily basis, I read online articles on The Moscow Times: Ukraine War. Eventually, not being able to do much more than pray that the war would end peacefully, I began to review that section less often, maybe about twice a month.
Now and then, however, a story shocks away the numbness. This article, the seventh in the 2022 Slavic War topic section, shares a shocking story that awakened my numbness. This is the true story of a young sister in Christ. Her story is personal and tragic.
A Sister in Christ's Personal and Tragic Story
Anya is a young Christian lady and Russian, still living in that country. We have not met in person. Several years ago, however, through mutual online connections with a Christian brother and former missionary to Russia, Anya and I became acquainted on a social media platform. By infrequent online communications, I have been encouraging Anya to continue her walk with Christ, despite the political climate in Russia. She seems to be doing so, despite numerous hardships.
Last month, on Tuesday, August 27, Anya posted on her social media profile a link to the following: “Russian woman's killer released for second time to fight in Ukraine,” BBC News, by Will Vernon, 8/27/2024. As of today, that BBC News article still appears in the “On the ground” section of BBC News: War in Ukraine. It is the fifth article from the left. You are encouraged to read it. The article includes photographs of Anya's grandmother and of Anya with her grandmother.
In the previously cited BBC News article, beneath the photograph of Anya and her grandmother, is the following link: “Russian convicts released to fight with Wagner accused of crimes” (actual source: “Russian convicts released to fight with Wagner accused of crimes - BBC News,” BBC News (YouTube), August 23, 2023). At the forty-second mark, the video (of three minutes and fifty seconds) includes an interview with Anya, who talked about the murder of her 85-year-old grandmother, Yulia Byuskikh. The video continues with a story about another convicted murderer, who was released from prison to fight for Russia against Ukraine. I hope that you watch the entire video.
Tragically, early last year, Anya's 85-year-old grandmother was raped and murdered by a Russian male in his twenties. This was not his first act of murder. He had been serving time in prison for a previous murder conviction.
In 2022, however, after Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian officials released this convicted murderer from prison, where he was serving time for his first murder, so that he could fight for Russia against Ukraine. After six months of military service, Russian officials allowed the man to return home. Early last year, once home, he raped and murdered Anya's grandmother. This was his second murder.
In April this year, the man was found guilty of his second murder, when he raped and killed Anya's grandmother. For his second murder conviction, he was sentenced to serve 23 years in a high-security prison. He started serving prison time early last month.
On August 19, however, one week after the start of his second imprisonment for his second murder conviction, Russian officials released the murderer again. This was the second time that he was released from a prison sentence for murder. Anya and her relatives were shocked! Like his first release, the murderer was released a second time to serve in the Russian military in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The assumption is that this twice-convicted and twice-released murderer is a Russian soldier on a battlefield somewhere in Ukraine. His whereabouts, however, are unknown to Anya and her relatives. They live in fear of his return to find and harm or murder them.
Conclusion
Anya's personal and tragic story is appalling. Sadly, it is only one example. Needing men for the front lines, Russian officials are releasing thousands of convicted rapists, murderers, and other egregious criminals to fight in its aggressive war against Ukraine. Ukraine also releases prisoners to fight in defense of their country, but convicted murderers and sexual offenders are not eligible.
Russia even pays recruits, who volunteer to fight, more than 1.5 million rubles (or over 16,000 US dollars). Did the twice-convicted and twice-released murderer, who most recently raped and murdered Anya's 85-year-old grandmother, receive payment to serve in the Russian military?
The Russian expression “Боже мой!” (“My God!”) is an interjection that expresses intense emotion, not necessarily in vulgarity. For example, in Matthew 27:46 (NIV), before Jesus' vicarious death on the cross, he cried out, “'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' (which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?').” Quoting from Psalm 22:1a, Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecy in that Psalm.
My God! Please protect Anya and her relatives from the twice-convicted and twice-released murderer, who raped and killed her aged grandmother! In your providential will, please end the Russian-Ukraine war in peace. In Jesus' name, amen.
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