The war between Russia and Ukraine has been raging for over two and half years, since its onset in February 2022. And with war, comes the loss of life with over 50,000 Russian soldiers and 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed on the battlefield, as of April and February 2024, respectively.
As more and more soldiers lose their lives, the Russian Defense Ministry, seeking ways to boost the number of soldiers on the front lines, has turned to an unexpected source: convicts and prisoners.
Recruiting prisoners is nothing new for the Russian military; prior to its coup, the Wagner Group, a mercenary group to which Russia had outsourced part of its war effort, had done the same thing, before the Russian government resumed control over the military. But what’s particularly disturbing about the recent spike in convict recruitment is its indiscriminate nature.
Ivan Rossomakhin was a convict, in prison for murder, when he was recruited to serve as a soldier by the Wagner Group in 2022. When he was released from service in March 2023, he returned to his hometown in the Kirov region of Russia and proceeded to rape and murder his 85-year-old neighbor, Yulia Byuskikh.
Convicted yet again with a prison term of 22 years (later extended to 23), Rossomakhin was once more recruited in mid-August 2024 by the Russian military less than one week after the start of his new prison term under a new law codifying the practice of convict recruitment.
While recruiting convicts seems to be a growing practice in Ukraine as well, the Russian military seems to be facing more problems with a rise in violent reoffenders, ranging from petty crimes to murders and rapes, a phenomenon that cannot be tied down to a single factor.
To make matters worse, Russian law now allows the suspension of criminal proceedings under certain circumstances in favor of more convicts conscripting and has even gone so far as to sign official pardons or expunge records for convicts who have signed up to serve, impacting the sentencing of repeat offenders.
While on the surface this may seem as the perfect opportunity for convicts — former convictions expunged, suspension of criminal proceedings, a fresh start, conditions of the front lines for convicts seem to be worse than those inside in jail.
As the Russian government desperately ramps up its recruitment in an effort to match Ukrainian forces, medical assessments to check the physical fitness of potential recruits, proper military training and preparation, and basic necessities seem to be on the back burner. More often than not, these convicts are conscripted directly into Storm-Z battalions, or military units comprised nearly exclusively of convicts, often meaning that their sole job is to serve as cannon fodder.
In addition to the already appalling conditions at the front lines and a lack of preparation, wages, and proper equipment, these convict-turned-soldiers are often thrown into the thick of battle again and again, despite sustaining severe injuries.
Whichever way you look at it, Russia’s policy of conscripting convicts is deeply flawed.
On one hand, there is the indiscriminate pardoning and expungements of convicts, facilitating increased rates of recidivism, which in turn can sow deep paranoia and distrust in Russian society, among other ramifications.
On the other hand is the utter disrespect for human life, supposedly excused by their transgressions, as the Russian government throws underfunded, unprepared, and often injured convict-turned-soldier after convict-turned-soldier into a cesspool of bloodshed, death, and destruction.
As the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on more aggressively than ever, it is vital that we as humanity reconsider the ramifications of our silence, both within and outside the context of the Russia-Ukraine war. Further silence on a global scale facilitates the perpetuation of harmful practices — like the conscription of convicts — that hurt everyone involved… except those in power.
