Russian ex-convict rapes and kills teenager in occupied Ukraine

Police have arrested a Russian former convict who confessed to the rape and murder of a 17-year-old resident of occupied Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

The suspect, Andrey Kurbasov, was sent to fight in Ukraine from prison, where he was serving a sentence for murder. The body of the victim, Anastasia V., was found last Saturday near the village of Lyubymivka in the Luhansk region, broadcaster ASTRA Telegram reported.

Kurbasov told police he raped Anastasia in a car, killed her and then buried her body in the forest and covered it with stones.

Kurbasov’s relatives told ASTRA that he was recruited to fight in Ukraine about a year ago. Before he was convicted of murder, he had also been charged with armed robbery, carjacking and drug possession.

A law signed by Vladimir Putin in March grants immunity to prisoners convicted of crimes such as murder, theft and rape if they fight in the war in Ukraine.