From Prison to the Frontline: The Harsh Reality of Russia's Volunteer Soldiers
Thousands of Russians have volunteered to fight in Ukraine willingly and are doing so at the front of their own free will. This is the harsh reality of Vladimir Putin's army, although there are increasingly fewer ideologues who believe in rebuilding the empire and their president. Meanwhile, more and more people see the war as an opportunity to change their lives and help their loved ones.
On Telegram, a video surfaced showing Russian veterans of the war in Ukraine. One of them openly shared why he enlisted and what he gained from it. Aside from wounds and mutilation - the footage was recorded in a rehabilitation centre for the injured or a hospital - he managed to escape prison and support his family.
Such cases are not rare in Russia, and the authorities exploit them ruthlessly.
A Russian soldier disclosed how he was in prison before the war. The conflict offered him a way out of incarceration and a chance to fight for his freedom. In doing so, he shed blood in Ukraine, an option made available to prisoners by Russian authorities. Initially, prisoners were recruited by the Wagner Group, then by the regular army.
In this way, prisoners could fight in "Storm-Z" units, and if they survived the ordeal, they could return to freedom in Russia. However, most of them died on the front, a fact that nobody in Vladimir Putin's country tries to conceal. The lives of prisoners hold little value to their commanders, and conditions in prison and special colonies were deliberately made harsher to make joining the army more appealing.
"I went to war because I wanted to somehow help my children. My daughter now eats at school for free," explains the wounded veteran.
Until recently, he was behind bars; now, his children receive free state care and are not stigmatised at school. As he mentioned, they faced discrimination because their father was a criminal. However, this is where the ideal life promised to Vladimir Putin's soldiers ends, as they were promised much but received little in terms of state support.
Russia has abandoned its "stormtroopers" and shows no concern for their fate. The Ministry of Defence does not offer compensation, and doctors refuse to treat the wounded soldiers. Just like before the conflict, their plight interests nobody. Thus, they are left with injuries and other relics from the war, finding themselves having to fend for themselves once more.
