Just reading an article about the Russian soldier who is being tried for executing a Ukrainian soldier. He told the interview that he was born in the town in the attached picture, and handed to an orphanage as a baby. This would have been in the late 90s, when Russia was pretty much bankrupt. Spent his time among rough kids growing up, got into crime, and ended up in prison after a fight. Was then homeless when he left prison because he had no family. Ends up prison again for theft. The prison officer comes around when the war starts and tells everyone they can purify themselves if they sign up to join the army. He does and ends up being sent straight to the front lines after only two weeks of training. He described the men in his unit as "people who had been pushed down by life and rejected by society, who were outside of society" and said "They all said they were just there to die". That's brutal, but it is what it is. A sad end to a sad life.