President Vladimir Putin pardoned a convicted Russian murderer and cannibal for his fighting in Ukraine.

Denis Gorin, 44, was pardoned recently despite only serving in prison since 2018.

Smiling Russian cannibal serial killer Denis Gorin pardoned by Putin for fighting in Ukraine https://t.co/NfJfJ3ULjR pic.twitter.com/1DYfdfQyxA

— New York Post (@nypost) November 24, 2023

His crimes

"Denis Gorin, 44, from the town of Aniva in the Sakhalin region, was sentenced in 2018 to 22 years in a penal colony for savagely stabbing a man to death and eating his flesh," the New York Post reported.

"In total, Gorin killed at least four people and partially ate two of them — but his body count could be as high as 13, according to his neighbor," it added.

Denis Gorin, a convicted murderer and cannibal, has received a pardon for taking part in the invasion of Ukraine, according to a report by Sibir.Realii.

Vladimir Putin has pardoned 20 other high-profile murderers in similar cases over the past two years.https://t.co/ybbLQdMF3w

— The Insider (@InsiderEng) November 23, 2023

The details

"Gorin had earlier published a photo of himself in military uniform on the social network Odnoklassniki, according to the Telegram channel Sakhalin Against War (“Sakhalin protiv voiny”)," the Insider reported.

"The photo shows a St. George ribbon on the man's clothes, along with a patch reading 'Zacheburashim' [a violent reference to the popular Soviet cartoon character Cheburashka — translator’s note], which is similar in design to those sent to the front lines by Russian volunteers," it noted.

A pair of Russian cannibal killers, Denis Gorin and Nikolay Ogolobyak, have been pardoned and released from prison to join the war effort in Ukraine. Ogolobyak was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a series of ritual murders and cannibalism, while… https://t.co/0JseU8vQN1

— The America One News (@am1_news) November 24, 2023

A second cannibal

Nikolay Ogolobyak, 33, was also released from a similar situation, according to GB News.

"As part of the cult, Ogolobyak dismembered teenagers in a string of ritual murders before eating their hearts in 2008," it reported.

"Ogolobyak was the only adult at the time of the trial and received a 20-year sentence. He was due to be released in 2030, prior to his pardoning," it continued.

The incident adds to a string of prisoners released and pardoned by Putin over his need for additional military forces in Ukraine.

The latest incident shows that Russia is now releasing even its most notorious criminals as the needs grow in its invasion of Ukraine.