After recruiting prisoners for Russian mercenaries, the regular Russian military is now also recruiting soldiers for the war in Ukraine in prison, civil rights activists and the media said. “Since the end of September, the Ministry of Defense has started recruiting convicts,” the Internet portal “Vashnye Istorii” said on Tuesday.
The Kremlin-critical medium reported on military visits to penal colonies in the Ryazan region near Moscow and in Stavropol in the North Caucasus. Gulagu.net’s civil rights activists had previously reported on poaching attempts in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
The Wagner mercenary group also recruits prisoners
The Wagner mercenary group, funded by Putin confidante Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been recruiting prisoners for deployment in Ukraine since the summer. In a video circulated on social networks, Prigozhin himself is seen in front of prisoners, promising them release if they commit to serving as mercenaries in Ukraine for six months.
Release after deployment of war is promised
According to Vashnye Istorii, the generals of the regular army also promise the prisoners that they will be released after the operation. These are to be used in a special unit called “Storm”. The Ministry of Defense therefore recruits specifically from prisoners who have previously served in the security agencies and may have combat experience.
Source: Krone
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