On October 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that exempts defendants from criminal liability if they join the Russian army. This law was announced on Russia’s legal information portal. The Russian government aims to conscript 40% of the nearly 60,000 prisoners currently held in pre-trial detention centers, according to the independent Russian news outlet IStories.
According to a source, about 100 people from each detention center are planned to be sent to the war in Ukraine. With 210 pre-trial detention centers in Russia, this means that approximately 20,000 people may be sent to serve. The law allows for military service for defendants whose cases are pending in a court of first instance during mobilization or wartime. Another law signed by Putin allows for the release from criminal liability of defendants who have previously been mobilized or who have signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry.
Under the newly adopted legislation, criminal proceedings against these individuals will be suspended and their preventive measures will be canceled during their military service. This also applies to convicts whose sentences have been issued but are not yet finalized, including during an appeal process in a criminal case. After receiving a state award or being dismissed from military service due to age, health condition, or the end of mobilization, defendants will be fully exempt from criminal liability.
Since the summer of 2022, Moscow has been recruiting convicts for its war against Ukraine, first through the Wagner mercenary company and then directly through the Russian Defense Ministry. In March, the UK Defense Ministry stated that Russia is likely recruiting around 30,000 people per month to bolster its war effort. In a decree signed by Putin on September 30, it was announced that Russia plans to draft 133,000 people between October and January. Men aged 18 to 30 will be drafted as part of the regular fall conscription campaign. This also includes the illegally annexed areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
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