DPrisoners at a penal colony in St. Petersburg were awaiting the arrival of officials for some form of inspection. Instead, uniformed men arrived and offered amnesty if they agreed to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
According to a relative, about a dozen volunteers left the prison in the following days. Her incarcerated boyfriend also considered the offer but decided against it, said the woman, who is currently serving a sentence there.
Despite Russia’s continued losses in Ukraine, the Kremlin has so far refrained from full-scale mobilization — because such a move would have a hugely negative impact on President Vladimir Putin’s popularity. Instead, the government relies on clandestine recruitment operations, for example in prisons, to make up for the lack of fighters.
According to reports, hundreds of Russian soldiers refuse to fight and want to resign. Both veterans and new recruits wanted to leave the war zone in large numbers, says lawyer Alexei Tabalov, head of the military school’s legal advice: “I have the impression that everyone who can is ready to run.” At the same time, the Ministry of Defense is making great efforts to convince men to do military service.
Although the ministry denies any mobilization activities, they are blatant. Posters and notices on public transport in various regions invite young people to join the professional army. Officials set up mobile recruitment centers in several cities, including the site of a half-marathon in Siberia in May.
Regional administrations form “volunteer battalions”.
Regional administrations create “volunteer battalions” advertised on state television. Business newspaper Kommersant counted at least 40 units in 20 regions. Officials promise recruits a monthly salary of between around 2,100 and almost 5,400 euros plus bonuses. Thousands of posts for military professionals are advertised on job portals.
According to British forces, Russia has created a new large ground division called the 3rd Army Corps from “volunteer battalions”. It requires men up to the age of 50, who only have a high school diploma and are offered a “lucrative cash bonus” upon deployment to Ukraine. Tabalov said he has been receiving requests for legal aid since August from reservists who were called to a two-month training session near the Ukrainian border.
According to Vladimir Osechin, founder of Gulagu.net, which campaigns for the rights of prisoners, the recruitment of prisoners in the seven regions has been going on for several weeks. He cites prisoners and their families with whom his group interacts.
It wasn’t the first time officials resorted to his tactics: the Soviet Union had already used “prisoner battalions” during World War II. Russia is not alone in this. Almost six months earlier at the start of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had offered amnesty to soldiers who had been imprisoned if they volunteered to fight. But what happened to it is not known.
Currently, it is not the Russian Defense Ministry that is recruiting the prisoners, but the private paramilitary Wagner group, Osekin says. Initially, only prisoners with military or police experience were employed in Ukraine. However, it was later expanded to include prisoners from other backgrounds, the expert explains. He estimates that about 1,500 men may have applied by the end of July. Many of these volunteers have now contacted him because they wanted out of the contracts.
Detained in a penal colony in St. Petersburg, the boyfriend describes the privileges offered to inmates as a glimmer of hope for freedom. According to his partner, eight of the eleven volunteers were killed in Ukraine. One volunteer regretted his decision and said he did not expect to return home alive.
The woman’s statements have not been independently confirmed, but are consistent with several reports by independent Russian media and human rights groups. According to them, the number of soldiers refusing to fight in Ukraine was already in the hundreds in July. However, anyone who chooses to terminate their contract should expect consequences up to and including arrest.
According to military analyst Michael Goffman, the Russian government should continue to accept soldiers’ refusal to fight. In a recent podcast, the director of the Russia Studies Program at the US Center for Naval Analyses, stressed that Russia’s ability to “get by with half measures” should not be underestimated. “And they’ve taken a lot of measures to keep people in line. But ultimately they don’t have much choice.
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