Prisoners from the colonies of Russian St. Petersburg began to be recruited to go to war in Ukraine as part of the "Wagner" PMC.
This is reported by the Russian media "Vazhnye istorii".
Relatives of the convicts told journalists about this. For six months of "service", the prisoner, if he returns from the war alive, is promised a payment of 200,000 rubles and amnesty. And if such a "volunteer" dies, they promise to pay the family 5 million rubles.
"All this is only in words, it will not be recorded anywhere on paper. At the same time, all the information is not transmitted directly, but through the foremen [prisoners who help the colony staff manage the units]," says a relative of one of the prisoners.
According to him, at first the prisoners were told that only those who served or fought would be considered. But then it became clear that everyone who wants to is added to the lists. In one of the Russian colonies, "Yablunivtsi", about 200 people wanted to sign up, but in the end, about 40 signed up. Prisoners were recruited for the "trip to Donbas" by representatives of the "Wagner" PMC. According to journalists, there are different versions of why they are sent: some people said that their relative was invited to "serve"; others — to "restore the infrastructure".
When asked about recruitment, the head of the Russian colony replied that he "had heard" about it for the first time.