(Adnkronos) – Russia has recruited about 180,000 inmates and sent them to fight in Ukraine since last November. This is according to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service. The Kyiv Independent recalled that since the summer of 2022 Moscow has been recruiting detainees for the war, first under the auspices of the Wagner mercenary company and then directly under the control of the Russian Defense Ministry.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, in 2024 there were around 300,000-350,000 prisoners in Russian prisons, half as many as in 2014. “The reason is the war between Russia and Ukraine,” the note reads. Prisoner salaries are two to four times lower than those of other Russian soldiers, Ukrainian intelligence said. Dozens of men convicted of violent crimes were allowed to return to Russia after completing military service.
