There are many indications that the Russian army is plagued by personnel problems. Authorities in many regions of the country are promoting a mission in Ukraine. According to human rights activists, Moscow is also intensifying its efforts to recruit people from prisons – and making promises to the prisoners.
According to human rights activists in Russian prisons, volunteers are being specifically sought for Moscow’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The Russian civil rights activist Olga Romanowa, who lives in Berlin, reported on Facebook that suspects and accused were also recruited with the promise that in return the criminal proceedings would be dropped. There are examples from detention centers in the Moscow region. “But I think it started everywhere,” wrote Romanova, who is considered a respected expert on prisoner’s rights in Russia.
There is no general mobilization in Russia for the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for almost half a year. That is why the army and President Vladimir Putin depend on volunteers. A sign of a shortage of personnel at the front is that the authorities in many regions have started using street advertising to promote a mission in Ukraine. Cities and regions set up their own battalions.
Since almost all charges in Russia end in a guilty verdict, suspects and accused should now be given a choice: war or prison. The founder of the Gulaga.net project created to combat violence in Russian prisons, Vladimir Osechkin, while in exile in France, confirmed prison recruitment practices. There is also information from St. Petersburg, Ryazan, Tver and Bryansk.
According to the internet portal Meduza, there were already reports in the Russian media at the beginning of July about the search for volunteers in numerous prison camps in the huge empire. Accordingly, the private mercenary organization “Wagner” is said to have recruited criminals there for use in the war.
The Internet portal Mediazona reported that the businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin wanted by the United States, who is considered a “Wagner” financier with the best contacts to Putin, is said to have recruited volunteers in prison camps himself. In return, they were promised 100,000 rubles (1,600 euros) a month, bonuses, payments to families in the event of death and an amnesty.
