Vladimir Putin
On Friday, President Vladimir Putin stated that Russian convicts who perished in Ukraine have redeemed themselves in the eyes of society.
Wagner’s army and the mercenary group have actively recruited from Russian penal colonies to supplement regular troops fighting in Ukraine.
Referring to prisoners who died in Ukraine, the Russian President said, “They are dead”.
He went on to say, “Everyone can make some mistakes, as they once did. But they gave their lives for the Motherland, and fully redeemed themselves”.
Following a brief conversation with the soldiers, President Putin observed a minute of silence to remember the captives who perished in war.
Soldiers who fought near Urozhaine, where a Ukrainian invasion was thwarted were described as an emblematic example of courage and heroism by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Convicts have reportedly been used as cannon fodder, especially in Bakhmut, an eastern Ukrainian hotspot.
According to international experts, in certain cases, prisoners were persuaded to fight in Ukraine through threats or intimidation.
Many experts and Kremlin critics agree that rehabilitating and reintegrating traumatized ex-soldiers is a huge task for Russia.
Some ex-prisoners who return from the front commit new crimes.
Russian authorities have long lauded patriotism and a spirit of self-sacrifice, especially by commemorating the Soviet triumph in the Second World War.
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