Russian Roulette: German War Prisoners Turn to Life of Crime

June 13, 1918 – The streets of Russia have become a breeding ground for lawlessness, as German war prisoners abandon their duties and turn to a life of idleness and crime. Members of the American Red Cross Mission, returning from Romania, have encountered numerous groups of these former prisoners at various points in Russia. Unsupervised and wandering in small groups, they have shed their military discipline and now roam the countryside, refusing to work or fight.