Putin left scrambling for troops as he’s forced to take drastic action amid Ukraine losses
Vladimir Putin has introduced a controversial new policy allowing individuals accused of crimes to opt for fighting in Ukraine instead of facing trial.
The practice, which initially focused on recruiting convicted prisoners, has now expanded to include those yet to even be convicted.
Under legislation passed earlier this year, both prosecution and defence lawyers are legally required to inform people charged with most crimes about this option.
If they sign up for military service, their prosecution and any ongoing investigation will be halted.
The cases are generally closed completely at the end of the war, effectively offering a path to avoid criminal proceedings.
Olga Romanova, director of the NGO Russia Behind Bars, states: “This has turned Russia’s law enforcement system upside down.”
She explained: “Police can now catch a man over a corpse of someone he has just killed.
“They tighten the handcuffs and then the killer says: ‘Oh wait, I want to go on a special military operation,’ and they close the criminal case.”
The approach reflects Russia’s urgent need to reinforce its troops in Ukraine whilst minimising civilian mobilisation.
Olympic gold medallist Andrey Perlov is among those being pressured to take up military service.
The 62-year-old, detained for over six months near Novosibirsk, is accused of embezzling about three million roubles from a football club. His family denies the allegations.
Perlov’s daughter, Alina, reports that he is being pressured to agree to fight in Ukraine. In exchange, the embezzlement case against him would be frozen and potentially dropped when the war ends.
“He refused and we made quite a big noise in the local media so he was sent to the strict punishment cell, where they brought him the contract again,” Alina says.
The exact number of accused individuals opting for military service over trial remains unclear.
However, this policy shift underscores Russia’s desperate need for troops while minimising civilian mobilisation.
Military analyst Michael Koffman suggests the Russian government views these recruits as expendable, stating: “Do Russians care about convicts or those who are in prison? I suspect that they don’t.”
The recruitment of accused individuals follows a pattern established by the Wagner mercenary group, which initially targeted convicts in high-security prisons.
It is thought that Wagner recruited nearly 50,000 inmates from penal colonies. At one point, they were losing up to 200 fighters in action every day.
Payment records indicate that more than 17,000 prisoners were killed trying to capture the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine between July 2022 and June 2023 alone.