Russian pardons 5,000 criminals for joining Wagner

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 25 Mar 2023 by Alex Teddy
On March 25 the head of Wagner said that the men had been pardoned. In 2022 Wagner recruited up to 50,000 men from prisons. They had to serve 6 months at the front to earn a pardon. Some were Russian but they came from countries such as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Zambia. In Russia people can be given a sentence of several years even for possessing a few grams of cannabis. The publication of the pardon news will incentivize more people in jail to volunteer. Russia has a prison population of 500,000. However, Russia has not allowed women in prison to volunteer. Some men in prison are too physically decrepit to be recruited. It is rumored that Russia no longer allows Wagner to recruit from jail. It is also said that Wagner is winding down its operations in Ukraine and will concentrate on Africa and Syria. Wagner has been vital in sustaining Russia's fight around Bakhmut but Wagner is making very slow gains for high casualties. Wagner troops have minimal training and are seen as disposable. They are not always been provided with medical treatment if wounded. Prigozhin said only 0.3% of those pardoned through the Wagner scheme have re-offended. Prigozhin spent 9 years in jail in the Soviet era.  Ukraine has also freed men from jail who volunteer to fight.

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