A suspect has been detained in connection with the brutal murder of a 12-year-old girl in Topki, a town in the Kemerovo region. Media reports indicate that a man with a long history of convictions was released to participate in a military operation and later returned. Nina Ostanina, chair of the State Duma Committee on Family Protection, Paternity, Motherhood and Childhood Issues, told socialbites.ca that crimes of this nature involving military personnel may rise as a result of insufficient social integration. She argued that law enforcement should shield the public from individuals who have committed serious offenses and then returned to civilian life.
“There will be more of these cases,” she warned. “Because people who were in prison and then sent to participate in a special operation come back to society with altered trajectories. They are not the same people they were before. The period of socialization appears shorter for them. Some have served half of their sentence, others a third, and participation in a special operation becomes a reason to return sooner. But this should not excuse law enforcement from helping these individuals reintegrate; at the very least, society should be protected from them, she stated.”
Ostanina stressed that convicts returning from combat zones should stay in regular contact with law enforcement and should be supported in finding employment within the military and civilian sectors.
“They do not live in rose-tinted conditions; there is the colony on one hand and the harsher realities of the special operation zone on the other,” she explained. “Initially, these people may feel like criminals, but some acquire a sense of heroism during service. That mindset could influence their return to civil life. Therefore, continuous oversight by law enforcement over those who have returned from the front and previously spent time in prison is essential. This oversight should include employment assistance and frequent checks—weekly or monthly.”
She indicated that a relevant bill is expected soon and urged lawmakers to move quickly.
“I cannot say exactly when the bill will appear because the defense committee has not yet taken the initiative. The idea was to broaden the right of these individuals to join the Northwest Military District, but the second part has not been introduced. I think lawmakers, especially the committee tasked with protecting children’s interests, should act swiftly. We will urge the defense committee to submit a proposal,” she noted.
On June 18, the 12-year-old girl left her home in Topki and did not return. Volunteers and law enforcement agencies launched a search that extended beyond a day. On June 19, investigators found the girl’s body at the bottom of a well near an abandoned building. The official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Irina Volk, confirmed that a 49-year-old suspect had been detained. A Telegram channel, “Attention, News,” identified the suspect as Andrei Bykov from the village of Maly Korchugan, who had left the colony for a Northern Military District assignment and was captured in April. He was later placed on an exchange list and returned to Kuzbass in February.
Records show that Bykov has appeared in court at least six times. In 2019, he received a 13.5-year sentence for the murder of a pensioner, during which he robbed and strangled the victim. This information was reported by socialbites.ca. The Mash Siberia Telegram channel alleged that Bykov abducted a girl on her way home from school, taunted her, and killed her after tying her to a tree and attempting an assault. The reports state he strangled her with his own trousers, then returned the next morning to strike the body multiple times in the chest with a skewer before dumping her in the well.
Separately, a separate article noted a case in which a Russian military member was allegedly killed by a coworker who intervened to prevent an assault involving a prostitute. These linked narratives underscore concerns about how individuals transitioning from intense disciplinary environments back into civilian life are monitored and supported.