Russian authorities are planning to deploy up to 40% of individuals awaiting trial for military service, enabled by a new law passed in late September. Previously, only those in pre-trial detention or already convicted were eligible to sign contracts with the armed forces, reports the news outlet Important Stories, citing a source in the Ministry of Defence.

According to the source, military officials tasked with recruiting contract soldiers have been directed to identify which defendants are suitable for military service and willing to go to war. The target is 40% of the 60,000 defendants, which translates to about 24,000 individuals. Criminal defense lawyers have reported that pre-trial detention centers (SIZOs) are preparing to "release" defendants, with roughly 100 individuals from each SIZO potentially being sent to combat. Important Stories estimates this would total just over 20,000 nationwide.

At the beginning of 2024, there were 106,000 individuals in Russian SIZOs, according to the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN). In 2023, 769,000 people were on trial for criminal offenses.

A source close to the General Staff told the publication that the new measures are intended to offset the declining number of new contract soldiers from the inmate population: "This isn't an infinite resource, and the decision to send defendants to the [Special Military Operation] SVO indicates that the influx of convicted individuals is dwindling; it isn't what it used to be".

Those convicted of lighter offenses, who have short sentences remaining, aren't eager to fight. In contrast, Ukraine doesn’t recruit those serving sentences for severe crimes, significantly reducing their numbers. In Russia, a substantial part of this contingent has already been exhausted, prompting the need to draft potential inmates at the onset." Attorney Dmitry Zakhvatov linked the recruitment campaign in SIZOs to the authorities' reluctance to announce a new wave of mobilization.

  War in Ukraine, Russia, conscription

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