Russia’s Convict Soldier Allegedly Kills Six of His Own, Including Secret FSB Cyber Specialist

A Russian soldier recruited from prison after seven criminal convictions allegedly shot dead six fellow servicemen, including a former operative of a secretive Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) unit, during a dispute between Russian military units in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.

According to an investigation published by The Insider on October 13, the suspect, Alexey Korolev, was serving an 11-year prison sentence for drug-related offenses involving mephedrone before joining the Russian military. He now faces murder and extortion charges in a military court in temporarily occupied Donetsk.

The shooting reportedly occurred on October 25, 2025, near Lyman Pershyi, during Russia’s offensive operations around Kupiansk.

According to Ukraine’s I Want to Live project, the confrontation began after a Russian FPV drone mistakenly struck an all-terrain vehicle belonging to another Russian unit.

Several soldiers assaulted reconnaissance personnel and seized their drone-control equipment. When the reconnaissance unit attempted to recover it the following morning, another confrontation erupted.

Korolev opened fire after a fellow serviceman referred to his criminal past and threatened him with sexual violence. Six Russian soldiers were killed and two others wounded.

Among the dead was 22-year-old Rodion Kravets, whose banking records identified him as a specialist at military unit 71330, which corresponds to the FSB’s highly classified 16th Center.

According to The Insider, the unit specializes in signals intelligence, including intercepting and decrypting electronic communications, penetrating foreign computer networks, and conducting cyber espionage operations.

The UK government has linked the 16th Center to Russian intelligence cyber activities, while the European Union has also attributed cyberattacks to the unit.

Kravets reportedly began working there in June 2023 before later appearing in military records as a soldier of Russia’s 27th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade. It remains unclear whether he had permanently left the FSB or was temporarily assigned to combat operations in Ukraine.

Another victim, 28-year-old Vadim Petukhov, was reportedly associated with Russia’s elite Rubikon drone warfare center, although investigators could not independently verify the connection.

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Court records reviewed by The Insider show that Korolev had previously been convicted of robbery, theft, fraud, hooliganism, and drug-related crimes.

His case reached the Southern District Military Court in March 2026. His lawyer confirmed that the proceedings are being held behind closed doors but declined to provide further details.

Earlier, in February 2026, a Russian soldier who had twice been released from prison to fight in Ukraine was arrested on suspicion of another murder. The suspect, Viktor Savvinov, had previously been convicted of three killings but was repeatedly allowed to join the Russian military despite his criminal record.

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