Two-Thirds Of Former Russian Convicts Pardoned For Fighting In Ukraine Earlier Had Been Found Guilty Of Murder – OpEd
By Paul Goble
By allowing first the Wagner PMC and then the regular Russian army to recruit in Russian prisons with promises of pardons for those who agreed to fight in Ukraine, the Kremlin has filled the ranks of its forces there not just with criminals but with those guilty of the most serious crimes, including murder.
According to a new study carried out by Russia’s Dokha research group that examined a sample of 50 Russian prisoners who were pardoned after service in Ukraine, 68 percent – that is two out of every three men in this category – had been convicted of murder (doxa.team/articles/amnistiya).
In addition, other former convicts who have been pardoned for service in Ukraine were judged guilty of rape, participation in an organized criminal group, extortion, drug dealing, and theft. And in more than a few cases, those getting pardoned now were earlier found to be guilty of more than one of these crimes.
It is perhaps no surprise that those convicted of such crimes and facing the longest jail sentences would be the most interested in getting pardons and thus in agreeing to fight in Ukraine, but this figure will only convince many that the Russian army is filling up with criminals and believe that such men will affect the attitudes and actions of their fellow soldiers.
In addition, other former convicts who have been pardoned for service in Ukraine were judged guilty of rape, participation in an organized criminal group, extortion, drug dealing, and theft. And in more than a few cases, those getting pardoned now were earlier found to be guilty of more than one of these crimes.
