Nikolin's case reminds of illegal weapons problem and combatants' adaptation

The illegal circulation of the weapons originating from the special military operation (SMO) zone is widespread among all fighters; sometimes entire units can be involved therein, analysts have pointed out in their comments on the case of the shooting of a "Wagner" fighter at law enforcers in the Rostov Region. The psychological adaptation of former combatants could reduce the number of crimes with their involvement, but there is no systematic work in this direction, the analysts have added.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the case of Pavel Nikolin, who in December 2022 shelled law enforcers from a machine gun in the city of Novoshakhtinsk, in which he wounded a policeman, had arrived in the court. He is accused of attempting to kill law enforcers, threatening violence against a state official and illegal arms trafficking. Nikolin was recruited into the "Wagner" Private Military Company (PMC) from a colony, where he had been serving his term for robbery. He has explained that he had opened fire on policemen by mistaking them for Ukrainians.

The servicemen returning from the SMO zone often bring unaccounted or captured weapons with them, military Alexander Khramchikhin, a military expert, has pointed out.

The state strain efforts to get rid of unaccounted weapons and minimize the risk of the use thereof, including organizing psychological support to former combatants, Mr Khramchikhin has suggested; he believes that the psychological adaptation of today's combatants will become a problem in the future.

Maxim Shevchenko, a journalist, has a different opinion on the issue of combatants' psychological adaptation. "The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has to do with the violence people are engaged in, not with their understanding of the motives behind the war," he has stated.

Andrei Serenko, a political analyst, also treats the PTSD problem for combatants as relevant, regardless of the militaries' motivation. In his opinion, the problem of "combat neurosis" will also affect all the participants in hostilities.