After spending most of his life in Russian prisons, Alexander Fyodorov was recruited by the Wagner group. He survived six months of vicious fighting in the battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine east before receiving a medal, being freed from jail and sent home. The ex-convict is now being helped by a group called the "Union of Veterans of the Special Military Operation" in Ukraine, spearheading a campaign of greater social and psychological support for combatants returning from the front. "Most people who have fought" Fyodorov explains, "have serious problems... these people really need rehabilitation". In the last few months, Russian media have reported a rise in violent incidents involving veterans from the front. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES