According to the Russian newspaper "Kommersant" on Sunday, citing the lawyer of former Vladivostok Mayor Oleg Gumenyuk, he has "joined the fight in Ukraine and headed to the front after being sentenced to 12 years in prison for corruption." Kommersant quoted Gumenyuk's lawyer Andrei Kitav as saying, "Gumenyuk was supposed to join his military unit on December 22 under an order he received." Kitav could not be reached for comment.
Kommersant reported in December that Alexander Taiutin, a businessman from St. Petersburg who was serving a 23-year sentence after being convicted of using hired killers, was rearrested for planning further murders after joining Ukraine. Gumenyuk was sentenced last year to 12 years in prison for accepting bribes totaling 38 million rubles ($432,000). He served as mayor from 2018 to 2021 and resigned amid criticism from local and federal officials over his record.
Tens of thousands of Russian prisoners have volunteered to serve in Ukraine, benefiting from offers of full pardon or leniency in their sentences for those who survive their duty at the front.
