# Investigation finds Russia’s billboards featuring troops fighting in Ukraine include men with criminal convictions and soldiers accused of war crimes

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/investigation-finds-russias-billboards-featuring-troops-fighting-in-ukraine-include-men-with-criminal-convictions-and-soldiers-accused-of-war-crimes/
- Published: 2026-11-06T19:01:04+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T19:26:23+00:00
- Original publisher: Meduza
- Original article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/11/06/investigation-finds-russia-s-billboards-featuring-troops-fighting-in-ukraine-include-men-with-criminal-convictions-and-soldiers-accused-of-war-crimes
- Topics: Europe, Russia-Ukraine War, World

## Key points

- Bumaga examined 24 St Petersburg billboard portraits.
- The Defense Ministry site listed 737 soldiers.
- Some featured men have criminal records or war crime allegations.

## Summary

An investigation by Russian outlet Bumaga found that soldiers promoted on military recruitment billboards and the Defense Ministry’s “Real Heroes” website include men with criminal convictions and soldiers suspected of war crimes in Ukraine. The findings raise questions about how the ministry selects and presents those it honours, while showing how little information its public profiles provide.

Bumaga identified 24 soldiers pictured on billboards in St Petersburg and examined a Defense Ministry database listing 737 soldiers in early October 2026. Researchers compared names with records of the war dead, public announcements, probate data and war crimes investigations, but said their findings may be incomplete because profiles often lack ages, patronymics and other identifying details. Ukrainian prosecutors said they had documented more than 210,000 alleged crimes by Russian forces by March 2026; 1,127 people had been identified as suspects, 809 charged and 242 convicted.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.