Russia deploys "Gladiator" assault group of convicts in Ukraine: A new era of warfare?

The Ukrainians assert that the partially secret "Gladiator" battalion is comprised of several hundred convicts who possess a vast amount of front-line experience.

Supposedly, a former policeman, previously convicted for brutal murder, is heading the formation. The unit consists of individuals rigorously selected based on their high physical fitness, experience in law enforcement, and combatexterity.

Former Wagner mercenaries and Kadyrovites from the Achmat unit are reportedly responsible for the training of the "Gladiator" troops.

Between 2022 and 2023, Russian criminals serving sentences in prisons were conscripted for war by the Wagner Group. They were offered freedom in return for their participation in battles - Putin signed pardons for these individuals. American estimates suggest that by the end of 2022, the Wagner Group was comprised of 50,000 members, of whom 40,000 were drawn from Russian penal colonies.

In September of the previous year, a few weeks following the fatal plane crash of Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, prisoners began to be inducted into new assault groups named Storm-V (in contrast to the former Storm-Z). Entirely new regulations apply here. Pardons are no longer delivered to convicts after a few months; they are expected to fight under similar conditions as contract soldiers or individuals drafted as part of the mobilisation, that is, until the war ends - this was reported by the BBC, which analysed posts on social media groups designated for the relatives of prisoner-soldiers.

According to opposition media reports, the shift in existing service terms for convicts may be attributed to two primary factors. The first factor relates to the high volume of crimes committed by ex-mercenaries who were previously pardoned by Putin personally. The second issue stems from the fear of societal unrest sparked by the privileged status of prisoners in comparison to other ranks of soldiers, particularly the war reserve soldiers.

Source: National Resistance Centre/ BBC