Russia: The Russian State Duma, the lower house of parliament, has passed a bill granting pardons to criminal convicts who volunteer to join the Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. The move is aimed at bolstering troop numbers during Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive. The legislation formalizes the practice initially adopted by the Wagner mercenary force, which recruited prisoners last year before the Russian Ministry of Defense took over prison recruitment earlier this year.

The State Duma clarified that the amnesty for frontline combat in Ukraine would not apply to individuals convicted of acts of terror, sex offences, espionage, treason, or other serious crimes. The legislation stipulates that the criminal records of those who enlist in the Russian army will be expunged upon completion of military service, receipt of a state award for combat, being wounded in action, or reaching the retirement age of 65.

Additionally, suspected criminals can have their criminal proceedings suspended if they agree to serve in Ukraine. The bill specifies that this reprieve applies to individuals facing up to five years in prison for premeditated crimes or up to ten years for acts of negligence. However, crimes committed after the law comes into effect will not be pardoned.

The legislation will undergo a single round of voting in the upper-house Federation Council before reaching Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin for final approval.

Notably, even before the legislation’s passage, Mr. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group, had been recruiting criminal convicts as mercenaries, promising them pardons if they survived six months of fighting in Ukraine. Mr. Prigozhin recently stated that 32,000 Wagner mercenaries recruited from prisons had returned home after serving in the war, while around 20,000 had been killed.

Amid tensions between the Wagner forces and the Russian Defense Ministry, Mr. Prigozhin complained about being blocked from recruiting in Russian prisons. The Wagner Group is now reportedly seeking new fighters, particularly those with a gaming background, as UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) specialists.

According to Ukrainian military officials, Ukrainian forces are steadily advancing in the counteroffensive, while Russian troops fiercely resist fortified positions and minefields. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Mr. Hanna Maliar emphasized that the campaign would not be a swift offensive with easy victories but a challenging process.

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