Russia recruits murderers for war
MURDERERS and sex offenders in Russia have been offered their freedom – if they survive six months of fighting in Ukraine.
In a sign of Vladimir Putin’s desperate need for recruits, the Wagner Group of mercenaries – known as the his ‘private army’ – has turned to convicts to bolster the Kremlin’s forces.
Video footage leaked online showed Yevgeny Prigozhin, the 61-year-old who heads the notorious unit, telling prisoners they can become war heroes. However, he warns, they will be executed if they try to desert.
He told a prison yard full of black-clad inmates in central Russia: ‘In six months, you will go home having been pardoned. There is no chance of returning to jail.’
Wagner fighters have regularly been accused of war crimes in Ukraine, Syria and across Africa.
Prigozhin is dubbed ‘Putin’s chef’ because of the lucrative catering contracts that his company lands with the Kremlin.
The oligarch also told the prisoners Wagner’s strict rules for new recruits.
He said: ‘The first sin is deserting. No one deserts, no one gives up, no one surrenders. Troops will be issued two hand grenades to blow themselves [and their enemy] up if needed [during capture].
‘The second sin is alcohol and drugs in the war zone. The third sin is marauding – this includes sexual contacts with local women, men, flora, fauna, anyone.’
The Putin crony said the self-styled private military contractor, which is widely seen as little more than a Kremlin proxy unit, would consider applications from inmates aged 22 to 50, seemingly irrespective of their crimes.
He said: ‘We take great care about those jailed for sex offences [but] we understand people make mistakes. Any questions? You have five minutes to think things over.’
Russian state media have confirmed that the video of Prigozhin is authentic.
His unusual recruitment strategy is the latest sign of Russia’s desperation to save its faltering war effort in Ukraine where Western intelligence officials say it is short of troops.