Russian lawmakers on Thursday approved amendments to the law allowing the mobilization of former prisoners convicted of serious crimes, who can now be sent to Ukraine to fight.
These are persons who have been released from prison for less than eight years (after conviction for committing “serious crimes”) or at least ten years (for “particularly serious crimes”).
Until now, the mobilization law enacted in September by Russian President Vladimir Putin banned the recruitment of such ex-prisoners.
Now only those convicted of pedophilia, kidnapping with hostages or bombings, trafficking in radioactive materials, espionage or high treason cannot be mobilized, according to amendments approved today by the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.
Deputies also voted on the law regulating the status of volunteers to “assist the armed forces” in armed conflict or counter-terrorism operations, within the country and beyond its borders.
Under this law, they receive “the same status as contracted military personnel”. “It’s fair: they defend our country,” Duma President Viatcheslav Volodin said in a statement.
The mobilization was proclaimed in Russia after a series of setbacks to Moscow’s armed forces in the battle in Ukraine and will enable the recruitment of more than 230,000 people, according to authorities’ figures.
The move sparked protests in parts of Russia and caused tens of thousands of Russian citizens to flee the country hastily to avoid enlistment.
There have also been many cases of inappropriate mobilization of unfit men – students, the elderly or the sick – with Putin himself admitting that “mistakes” had been made.
The military offensive launched by Russia on February 24 in Ukraine has already resulted in more than 13 million people fleeing — more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.7 million to European countries — according to the latest data from the UN, which ranks this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – by Putin with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the generality of the international community, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and imposing political and economic sanctions. submit to Russia.
The UN has presented as confirmed since the start of the war, which today entered its 246th day, 6,374 civilians were killed and 9,776 injured, underlining that these numbers are far below the real one.
Source: DN
