Russian gangsters have come up with a grim new way to get rid of their rivals.

       For the first time in Russian criminal history, a kamikaze drone was used to kill a businessman in Siberia.

       The drone armed with an explosive targeted the owner of a large farm in the Transbaikal region.

       The farmer was killed instantly on the spot, according to local media reports.

       The incident has shocked local law enforcement agencies, who have opened a criminal investigation.

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       Investigators are questioning local veterans who served in Ukraine and were attached to drone units.

       "Of course, the situation is complicated by the fact that the drone is controlled remotely," a police spokesperson said.

       "However, certain skills are still required to control such a UAV. We will check all veterans of the Special Military Operation who have the necessary combat experience and live or could have been present in the nearby areas at the time of the assassination attempt."

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       Security forces are now considering creating a register of all veterans who were deployed to drone units in Ukraine.

       Last year, Russia saw an explosion in the number of "especially serious crimes".

       Crime figures reached a 14-year high, according to recent data from Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs.

       In 2024, 617,301 such crimes were registered, with only more recorded in 2010 (684,347).

       Moscow and regions bordering Ukraine were some of the worst affected areas.

       Many of the crimes have been committed by war veterans returning home from the front.

       In one particularly horrific incident, 41-year-old Ivan Polunin reportedly murdered and then dismembered his wife in front of his daughter after she criticised Putin and Russian soldiers.