Aleksei Bugayev, a former professional footballer who earned seven caps for the Russian national team, has been killed while fighting in the war in Ukraine. Bugayev's father and agent have confirmed his death while battling in the 34-month-old war between Russia and Ukraine after signing up to join Vladimir Putin's army.
"Unfortunately, the news about Aleksei's death is true. It happened today," Ivan Bugayev, his father, told Sport24, according to TASS.
RIA reported that agent Anton Smirnov stated that the intense fighting in the area had made it impossible to retrieve Bugayev's body for burial.
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In September, the 43-year-old was handed a nine-and-a-half-year jail sentence for drug trafficking by a court in southern Russia.
But Putin is believed to have lost tens of thousands of soldiers since triggering the war and has reportedly been recruiting new troops in prisons to restore his ranks.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky claims the nation has claimed almost 200,000 Russian lives during the bloodshed, with another 550,000 wounded.
Bugayev retired from football in 2010 at the age of 29 after spells at Torpedo Moscow, Tom Tomsk, Lokomotiv Moscow, Khimki and Krasnodar.
He made seven appearances for the Russian national team, including two at Euro 2004.
The defender played 90 minutes in a 2-1 win against shock champions Greece and a 2-0 defeat to beaten finalists Portugal in Group A.
Bugayev is believed to have been killed in the conflict on Sunday as the gruesome scenes between Ukraine and Russia near a third year.
As well as prisoners, Putin signed a fresh bill in October that enabled murderers and rapists to avoid a trial if they opted to fight in Ukraine instead.
The ruthless dictator assumed Russia would be able to storm Kyiv and take over in a matter of days, but he has suffered considerable losses at the hands of Zelensky's defensive forces.
The Russian government has struggled to attract fighters as the death toll continues to rise, sparking the drastic measures.
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A BBC report revealed that prisoners were initially offered a pardon and freedom after six months if they committed to fighting in the war.
However, they now no longer get a pardon and must battle until the end of the war in far tougher conditions.
A man called Sergei in a chatroom for former Russian prisoners fighting in Ukraine is said to have claimed that he's been part of a new army unit featuring convicts called 'Storm V' since October.
He wrote: "Before you could wing it for six months. But now, you have to make it until the end of the war. If you sign up now, be ready to die."
