A man in Russia, who had admitted to being a member of a Satanic cult and was serving a 20-year prison sentence for the ritualistic murders of four teenagers, has been released. Nikolai Ogolobyak, as reported by Newsweek, has been pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin in exchange for his involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. In July 2010, he was convicted of murder, robbery, and desecration of a dead body. Court documents cited by Russian outlet 76.ru also suggest that the cult members consumed their victims’ organs at Ogolobyak’s apartment.
The court records revealed that one of the cult members was referred to as “Hitler”. Since the beginning of the Ukraine war in February of the previous year, Russia has actively recruited prisoners to support its forces.
Ogolobyak’s father informed a Russian news outlet that the 33-year-old served in Russia’s “Storm Z” unit and is currently at home. He added that his son sustained a severe injury and is now disabled, making it unlikely for him to be deployed to Ukraine again.
Originally, Ogolobyak was expected to remain in prison until 2030. During the trial, prosecutors described him as the “warrior” of the group and revealed that his victims included a young couple who were brutally attacked. Prosecutors claimed that Ogolobyak audibly counted the blows as the man was killed, stopping at 666, as quoted by prosecutor Yelena Smirnova from 76.ru.
According to prominent prisoner’s rights activist Olga Romanova, thousands of former convicts have already reintegrated into society.
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