From prison to war: in Russia, the mobilisation of convicts has intensified

Nov 22, 2022
Minus 23 thousand. In two months, the number of prisoners in Russian colonies dropped to a record low. The Mediazona publication reports that there have never been such sharp cuts in 12 years. Even during the most massive amnesty in recent years - in 2015 - 15,000 Russians were released. The publication claims that this situation has developed due to the recruitment of prisoners in the Wagner Private Military Company. Following Prigozhin, the Ministry of Defense of the Federation also began to recruit prisoners for the war in Ukraine. Relatives of the convicts told the journalists of the Important Stories publication that the department was forming the Storm special squad from former law enforcement officers.