Convicted Italian killer fled justice to join Putin’s army — ends up behind bars

"Gianni Cenni, 52, had a long criminal history before joining Russian forces.
According to reports cited by O2, he was convicted of murder in 1999 after killing a security guard in Milan and served around a decade in prison.

Years later, in 2022, he was accused of sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl and was convicted the following year.
Cenni fled Italy and reportedly moved through Finland and Spain before eventually arriving in Russia.
There, he worked in an Italian restaurant in the city of Samara and is said to have married a Russian woman.
He later signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry and was sent to fight in Ukraine.
In early 2025, Cenni was captured by Ukrainian forces near Kupiansk.
According to Italy’s ANSA news agency, he returned to Italy on March 25.
Upon landing at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, Cenni was immediately detained by Italian authorities.
He is expected to serve a sentence of seven years and two months." Dagenses