Russian convicts, including violent criminals, were released from prisons to join the war in Ukraine, with at least one in four from a Chelyabinsk prison being killed. The New York Times obtained documents and interviews revealing the convicts' role in sustaining Russia's invasion. Thousands of convicts, given presidential pardons, have been linked to a shocking spate of murders across Russia. The Kremlin's narrative that the war protects Russia from its foes is being challenged by the murders committed by the returning convicts.
The Kremlin says men freed from Russia prisons to fight in Ukraine are “atoning for their crimes on the battlefield with their blood.” But a spate of murders by those returning home is shattering Putin’s narrative that the war protects Russia from its foes https://t.co/EzR8OSosPS
Russian veterans of the Ukraine war (also violent criminals released from prison early because they agreed to enlist) https://t.co/gtHyWdHkh3 https://t.co/0twk3r13AZ
"Thousands of criminals are walking our streets." We spent months on this piece about a shocking spate of murders committed across Russia by some of the 30,000 convicts freed from prisons and given presidential pardons in exchange for fighting in Ukraine https://t.co/JuTfI8jirj
These men were among nearly 200 inmates who left a high-security Russian prison to join the war in Ukraine. The New York Times obtained documents and interviews giving the fullest picture yet of the convicts helping to sustain Russia’s invasion. https://t.co/5LEY8U8yhC
These men were among nearly 200 inmates who left a high-security Russian prison to join the war in Ukraine. The New York Times obtained documents and interviews giving the fullest picture yet of the convicts helping to sustain Russia’s invasion. https://t.co/8FlCjXvPoC
These men were among nearly 200 inmates who left a high-security Russian prison to join the war in Ukraine. The New York Times obtained documents and interviews giving the fullest picture yet of the convicts helping to sustain Russia’s invasion. https://t.co/5jQfVTA6lF
At least one in four Russian convicts sent to the front from a Chelyabinsk prison were killed. Most who lived suffered serious injuries. An incredibly in-depth look, led by @AKurmanaev, at how Russia's convict recruitment tore through one prison: https://t.co/27jjjEay1h