Crime surge in Russia: returning soldiers fuel a national crisis
Russia is starting to pay the price of war, and the worst is yet to come for the Russian Federation when hundreds of thousands of war criminals return home from the front lines.
The nation is entering a new era of internal turmoil. Official statistics from Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs confirm the worst fears: Putin’s military, partially back from the front, has brought the war home. Violence, terrorism, and serious crimes are reaching historic highs, turning the country into a constant-threat zone. Russian propagandists’ military hysteria, alongside a culture of hatred and informing on one another, continues to poison the minds of its citizens. Putin’s military venture is starting to collect dues, not on the battlefield, but on the streets of Russian cities, as reported by The Moscow Times.
According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, in just the first quarter of 2025, 170,800 serious and especially serious crimes were registered in the country—a record since the full-scale war with Ukraine began. Crime has surged by over 13% compared to last year. In major cities and depressed regions, violence spikes dramatically, with society increasingly becoming victims of their own “war heroes.”
Experts had long warned that the mass release of convicts from the front lines, whom the Kremlin used as "cannon fodder," would backfire. Now, these former prisoners and psychologically damaged soldiers return home not with victory, but with weapons, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), and a sense of impunity. For many, the war hasn’t ended—it has just shifted from the trenches to the streets of Russian cities.
Moscow, the Moscow region, and Krasnodar Krai lead in the number of crimes, but in terms of crime per 1,000 residents, the most dangerous areas are remote regions like Magadan Oblast, Kamchatka, and the Altai Republic. These are precisely the places where the Kremlin had massively deployed conscripts and contractors, fostering violence and setting the stage for their return home.
Alongside the rise in domestic and organized crime, Russia is breaking records for terrorism incidents. In 2024, the Ministry documented 1,191 terrorist crimes—the highest since recordings began. And already in January and February 2025, there have been 451 attacks—almost 10 times more than a year ago.
The statistics include not only actual attacks but also arson of military enlistment offices and acts of civil protest, reinterpreted as terrorism.
Putin's adventure has long moved beyond Donbas and Crimea. It has relocated to Magadan, Omsk, Novosibirsk, and the Moscow suburbs. Now every Russian risks becoming its latest victim not from a Ukrainian missile but from a neighbor returning from the front, laden with medals and a dark thirst for violence.
Russia begins settling its war debts. But this price is not paid by Putin—instead, it burdens ordinary people. With hundreds of thousands of Russian war criminals returning home from the front, the worst for the Russian Federation is yet ahead.