Ukrainian forces capture Neapolitan pizza chef who fled to fight for Russia after sexually assaulting a minor in his home country

Ukrainian forces have captured 51-year-old Gianni Cenni, an Italian volunteer fighting for the Russian army. The initial report came from the Italian publication Today.it and was later confirmed by the Telegram channel of Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces. According to a report by the newspaper Libero, Cenni was convicted in Italy of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl. He fled to Finland before his sentence took effect and later relocated to Russia.

As reported by Today.it, Cenni was captured by Ukrainian forces on Jan. 7 or 8. The Telegram channel of Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces states that the capture took place near Kupiansk.

Gianni Cenni, originally from Naples, previously worked as a pizza chef. He joined the Russian army in November 2024 and served in the 1st Guards Tank Regiment. Before enlisting, Cenni worked in an Italian restaurant in the city of Samara in southwestern Russia. Gianguido Breddo, the honorary consul of Italy in Samara and a restaurant entrepreneur, confirmed to Today.it that he had employed Cenni.

“He was my employee until about a year ago, then he resigned,” Breddo told the publication. “I knew he had moved south of Volgograd, but I don't remember exactly where. [He] was a particular type, Neapolitan, with an over-the-top character and, well, knowing now that he went to fight doesn't surprise me.”

The Italian newspaper Libero provided additional details about Cenni’s background, reporting that he was accused in Italy of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in 2012. During interrogations, the girl stated that he often tried to be alone with her in the garage or bedroom. The judges added that he forced the victim to undergo explicit “sexual acts” by touching her “private parts.” When Cenni learned that her parents had filed a police report, he allegedly threatened her father.

In 2016, Cenni was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison, according to a report by Napoli Today. The conviction was upheld by both the appellate and supreme courts, taking effect in 2022. By that time, however, Cenni had already fled Italy, first to Finland and then to Russia.

This was not Cenni’s first conviction. In 1999, he confessed to murdering a colleague. At the time, he worked in Milan for the security company Prodest. Cenni later admitted to a prosecutor that he shot his colleague twice — once in the chest and once in the back of the head — over a disagreement. He was released from prison in 2008.

It remains unclear why Cenni decided to take part in the war in Ukraine. In a video published by the Telegram channel NE ZHDI menya iz Ukrainy (“Don’t Wait for Me from Ukraine”), Cenni claims he was “illegally conscripted” into the Russian army.