Denis Gorin killed four people and ate at least two of them.

Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, known for promoting "traditional values," has granted a presidential pardon to a convicted cannibal, Denis Gorin, in exchange for his participation in the war against Ukraine. Gorin, who received a 22-year sentence in 2018, is now reportedly free and undergoing recovery in a Russian hospital after being released from prison to join the battlefield. This marks at least the 17th instance of a convicted murderer being released for participation in the war.

Gorin's criminal history includes convictions in 2003 for murder, released in 2010, and subsequently committing another murder, confessing in court to slicing off a part of the victim's flesh as a memento, which he later consumed. After committing two more murders, he was sent back to prison in 2018. Shocked by Gorin's release, a former neighbor, Dmitry, revealed that during a police detainment, Gorin's fridge was found filled with human flesh. Dmitry claimed that Gorin openly discussed cutting meat from the legs of the dead and inspecting biceps for meat. He suggested that Gorin's victims still have many relatives in the Sakhalin region, predicting potential vigilante justice if authorities fail to ensure his punishment.

Gorin, seemingly unashamed of his newfound freedom, posted recent photos of himself in military-style clothing on social media in late October. When asked about the presidential pardon, a woman identified as Natalya, possibly a relative or acquaintance of Gorin, responded defensively, stating, "Well, he didn’t get the death penalty, did he?"