Over the years of the war, thousands of Russian prisoners have been released. Until autumn 2024, they could sign six-month military contracts and receive a presidential pardon. Some of them had been convicted of serious crimes and thus avoided decades in prison. Among those released was the murderer of Kemerovo student Vera Pekhteleva — her parents learned about his freedom only six months later. We filmed the stories of victims whose mothers lost track of the convicted killers and still do not know where they are. We also spoke with two former offenders who returned from the front and are now trying to live as ordinary citizens.

We spent several days with 25-year-old Zinaida from the Leningrad region. When she was 14, she was attacked by a serial offender. Zina survived, and her testimony later helped catch the perpetrator. But the story did not end there. After the attack, she was bullied at school, and even neighbors and relatives subjected her to cruel remarks. Today, ten years later, Zinaida herself is not sure which experience was more traumatic — the attack or the fact that her mother struggled with severe alcoholism both before and after the incident, and died about a year later, leaving her daughter alone with her pain. Years of therapy followed, and Zina has worked through the consequences. She chose to share her story in order to help others facing similar experiences: “Maybe my words will help someone realize that life goes on. No matter what.”