A Russian mother of three was brutally killed by a soldier from Putin's army, after he opened fire on her. The incident happened in a village in the Kursk region of Russia, part of which was seized by Ukrainian troops last August.

The region has seen intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in recent months, with the Kremlin claiming it has finally regained control of the area. A Russian soldier is reported to have burst into a home in the village of Giryi in the Belovsky district at about midnight on April 30. In the house at the time were the 41-year-old mother Oleysa Larina, her husband and three children - including her two daughters aged 10 and six.

According to the son, Ilya Larin, the soldier demanded to see their "documents", before opening fire and killing the mother.

"He burst into the house and immediately started shooting," the son recounted.

"My father tried to take the girls away, but he shot him in the head. Now he is in an induced coma. My sisters were not hurt."

The soldier has been detained by local police, who claim the servicemen was under the influence of drugs at the time.

Local residents in the Kursk region have complained that Russian soldiers behave aggressively and are often drunk in public places.

One told a local media channel they were wore worried about being killed by Russian soldiers than by Ukrainian artillery and drone attacks.

There have been numerous reports of Russian soldiers killing their own citizens, after returning from the front.

A study carried out last year by the independent Russian media outlet Vyorstka found that returning soldiers had killed 107 people since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Vyorstka said it tallied up the violent crime convictions of 91 ex-convicts pardoned after fighting in Ukraine and 84 regular soldiers who returned from the front lines.

According to the tally, 76 people were murdered by returning soldiers, 18 died from grievous bodily harm, 11 were killed in car crashes and two others died from drugs they were coerced into using.

Another 100 people were seriously injured by returning soldiers but survived.

The Kremlin has extensively recruited Russian convicts from prisons around the country, granting them amnesty for their crimes in return for military service. Many have committed serious crimes such as rape and murder.