When a Russian city unveiled a memorial honoring local soldiers killed in Ukraine, residents were outraged to spot a convicted murderer among them

Recently, residents of Chebarkul, a city in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, were shocked to find the portrait of a convicted murderer displayed on a memorial honoring local soldiers killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Public outrage forced officials to take the photo down, but many locals fear it could be put back up once the backlash dies down. Here’s what we know about the controversy.

The city administration of Chebarkul in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region has apologized for including a photograph of a convicted murderer on a memorial honoring locals who died in the war in Ukraine.

On November 11, residents voiced their objections to the memorial display in the city’s Victory Park. Lyubov Rudometova, the widow of a fallen soldier, posted a video criticizing the memorial’s poor quality. What angered her most, however, was the inclusion of a picture of Denis Sinitsyn, a soldier recruited from prison, where he was serving time for the 2014 rape and murder of a woman in Chebarkul.

“This Sinitsyn killed a woman right [in this city]. Two children were left without a mother. He murdered her in a horrifying way, he raped her, he gouged her eyes out. He’s a monster. He wasn’t drafted; he went to war straight from prison. And he didn’t die there — he croaked, to put it bluntly,” Rudometova said. “We told the administration from the start: Sinitsyn should not be displayed publicly. This is a small city; people remember that murder. We were all here back then, too afraid to even walk the streets. People pass by and are outraged. One woman walked by and said, ‘He’s a killer. How is he a hero?’”

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Local officials initially responded only to complaints about the poor quality of the memorial display, explaining that the project was still unfinished and that the families of the deceased had provided the photographs themselves. Later, a city representative confirmed that Sinitsyn’s photo had been removed following public backlash.

Despite this, some residents remain skeptical that the removal is permanent. “We went there today and saw it was gone. But we don’t know if it’s for good. Knowing our administration, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s back up tomorrow,” one local resident told Sibir.Realii. “His mother is already running around, asking why they took it down. We have a meeting this afternoon, and I’m sure she’ll try to convince us he’s the same kind of hero. But he’s not the same kind of hero! He killed someone during peacetime, not in war.”

Locals say Denis Sinitsyn, who enlisted while behind bars, died at the front in January 2023.