Putin's new move – to attract more soldiers | the world

Yevgeny Gorin, 61, was accused of defrauding a pensioner and risked ten years in prison when he suddenly appeared on the front line in Ukraine.

“We're constantly moving, sleeping in the woods. We're stormtroopers! The first line of defense!”he wrote in one of his many social media posts since taking office.

Choice: experience or service

Russia has long been recruiting convicted criminals into its “special military operation” with the promise of pardon when they return home. But with a new law taking effect in March, Russian criminal suspects, like Zgorin, are now also receiving similar offers, according to reports. Financial Times. They can either undergo legal proceedings and risk conviction, or serve in Ukraine and be acquitted of all charges before trial, the newspaper wrote.

– There is a special military operation and manpower is needed. Therefore, investigators have been given the responsibility of explaining to suspects and accused what rights they have – and essentially recruiting them, Russian criminal lawyer Roman Kondorov tells the Financial Times.

According to the newspaper, the law represents another strategy followed by Russia to meet the need for soldiers without the need to start a second mobilization wave. The first, in September 2022, sparked major protests and denials.

Source: Packing is inevitable

Since then, the Kremlin has tried to persuade the men to sign contracts with the army mainly by offering generous salaries, some of which amount to the equivalent of 28,000 kroner per month, which is about three times the average salary in the country, the newspaper reported. He writes.

The British Ministry of Defense estimates that Russia has managed to recruit around 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers every month. But this is not enough, a source close to the Russian detention facility told the Financial Times.

The source claims that the Russian forces, in order to maintain their superiority on the battlefield and be able to carry out a major attack this summer, need more than high wages and criminals.

The government can continue riding this system for a longer period, but at the end of this year or the beginning of next year, a new wave of partial mobilization will be inevitable, the person says.