August 18, 2022
1 min read

Putin accused of recruiting prisoners to fight Ukraine

The fact that in many areas, officials are posting street advertisements for people to fight in the war may indicate a shortage of personnel at the front…reports Asian Lite News

Russia is recruiting prisoners to to fight in Moscow’s continued war on Ukraine, according to human rights activists.

Suspects and defendants are being recruited with the promise that in exchange, the authorities will drop criminal proceedings, Olga Romanova, a Russian civil rights activist based in Berlin, said in a Facebook post, citing examples from pre-trial detention centres in the Moscow area.

“But I think it has started everywhere,” said Romanova, a specialist on prisoners’ rights in Russia.

Moscow depends on volunteers as general conscription has not been introduced to fill the ranks of its armed forces fighting in Ukraine, in the invasion that began on February 24, reports dpa news agency.

The fact that in many areas, officials are posting street advertisements for people to fight in the war may indicate a shortage of personnel at the front.

Cities and regions are currently forming their own battalions.

In the Russian judicial system, almost all indictments end in a guilty verdict, meaning suspects and defendants appear to be given the choice between going to war or going to prison.

The founder of Gulaga.net, a project created to combat violence in Russian prisons, Vladimir Ossetschkin, confirmed the recruitment practices in prisons from France, where he is living in exile.

He said there were indications of the practice from St. Petersburg, Ryazan, Tver and Bryansk.

Russian media have been reporting on the search for volunteers in the nation’s many penal camps since July, according to Meduza website, which said Wagner mercenary group was recruiting convicts.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wanted Kremlin businessman and backer of Wagner, personally recruited volunteers in prison camps, Mediazona website reported.

The prisoners were said to have been promised monthly pay of 100,000 roubles ($1,625) along with bonuses, payments to their families in the event of death, and an amnesty.

ALSO READ: Russia preparing ‘missile attack’ on Ukraine 

Previous Story

Haqqani Network accused of sheltering Zawahiri

Next Story

Biden cancels $3.9 b in student loan debt

Latest from -Top News

Jaishankar Due in UK, Ireland

During the visit, EAM will be holding discussions with his counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and will meet several other dignitaries External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will embark on an official visit

No Local Polls Before Nationals, Says Bangladesh EC

In recent weeks, BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and LDA have separately urged the Election Commission to hold national elections this year…reports Asian Lite News Bangladesh’s Election Commission has ruled out holding local elections before
Go toTop

Don't Miss

WEST IN A FIX OVER ARMS FOR UKRAINE

“Ukraine already has these items, or variants thereof, in its

Ukraine Tightens Military Mobilisation Laws

The new law also introduces some penalties for evaders, such