From murder suspects to immigrants to a former Olympic gold medalist, Russia pressures those it thinks should fight in Ukraine.
Neil MacFarquhar and Milana Mazaeva
Russia has ground through repeated waves of soldiers in Ukraine. It lost some of its most experienced troops at the very start of the invasion, then shipped off tens of thousands of convicts without seeming to care whether they survived.
Now, still desperately seeking sufficient manpower to maintain pressure on Ukraine, Russia has expanded recruitment even more. Men (and women) no longer have to be convicted of a crime — under new laws, any suspects detained by the police are informed that pending charges will disappear if they volunteer. The military also is taking anyone with large, unpaid debts; recent immigrants caught in repeated dragnets; and even corrupt officials.
Local papers nationwide are full of cases of suspected murderers, rapists and thieves who are headed off to war after signing contracts instead of facing trial.
“They can kill people or rob a bank or commit any other crime and then go to the front,” said Ruslan Leviev, a Russian military analyst. The government is “desperate for a lot of people,” he said. “There is a huge rate of casualties on the front line.”
Trying to avoid a draft, the Kremlin has pushed through a series of legal measures in recent months to widen the pool of potential soldiers. The effort has become especially important as Russia seeks to push back Ukrainian lines in advance of an anticipated move by President-elect Donald J. Trump to end the war when he takes office Jan. 20.
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