Viktor Kurenkov, an 82-year-old Russian pensioner who for several years went to school events posing as a veteran, turned out to be a pedophile.
Of course, he was no veteran at all. Schools called him a "friend" and a "concerned person," and sometimes presented him as a veteran (but Burenkov could not have participated in the war in any way). The pensioner wears medals and orders, although they are not related to military service.
Viktor Burenkov was born in 1941, his father died at the front. Burenkov has the status of "war child", he is also a member of the council of veterans of the district. Burenkov himself says that he participated 8 times in parades on Red Square, trained schoolchildren in the boxing section and "raised more than one generation of children".
In December 2023, Burenkov was sent under house arrest in a case of violent acts of a sexual nature against a minor child.
Now Burenkov faces up to 20 years in prison: he was charged with one episode of violence against a child under 14 and one episode of molestation of a child under 16.
Memorial to the fallen Moldovan soldiers of the Transnistrian War in Chisinau. Photo: Alexander Moisseenko
Thirty-three years ago, a ceasefire brought an end to the Transnistrian War—sometimes described by locals as the Russian-Moldovan War. Although the tensions officially ended in 1992, its consequences continue to shape Moldovan politics, society, and security — especially in view of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Finland is moving to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel mines. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the decision comes as a direct response to growing aggression from Russia.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has approved a set of controversial laws, including a “foreign agent” act aimed at NGOs and media. Critics say it mimics the U.S. FARA but is weaponized against dissent.
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The Russian capital faced one of the largest terrorist attacks in its history. The terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, which claimed the lives of many innocent people, was the second largest after the Beslan tragedy. But unlike previous attacks, this incident is shrouded in a layer of contradictory facts and ambiguities that point to possible miscalculations by the Russian security services
