Russia's secret enlistment: Prisoners drafted into Storm Z
The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Russia are compiling lists of convicts potentially eligible for signing a military service contract—even those who have not expressed such a desire—warns the "Committee Against Torture".
The organisation refers to one of the rulings of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. The document cited an order marked with the clause "for official use only," which outlines the rules for recruiting prisoners to participate in military activities.
Two methods of mobilisation
According to this order, two mechanisms are outlined for recruiting convicts into the military. The first involves creating special lists of individuals whom FSIN and the Ministry of Internal Affairs consider "most suitable" to be sent to the war in Ukraine. The selection criteria are determined by the institutions themselves, irrespective of the personal applications of the convicts.
Individuals automatically excluded from the lists include those over 65 years old, serving life sentences, or those with medical contraindications—including those classified in the incapacity category "D" or suffering from blood diseases.
The lists of convicts are forwarded to local military recruitment offices monthly, after which special groups from these offices conduct "informational-explanatory work" with the prisoners.
The second recruitment method allows for the possibility of a convict voluntarily applying to the prison administration or supervisory authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to request assignment to the army. In this case, there are no preliminary restrictions regarding the category of convicts. However, the final decision on signing a contract is made by the military command based on "socio-psychological studies" and a medical board.
This information came to light in connection with proceedings before the Supreme Court initiated by a convict for murder, Aleksei Tsygankov. He wanted to sign a military service contract but was refused. He attempted to challenge the existing regulations in court, but his lawsuit was dismissed.
Tens of thousands of prisoners in the army
In 2023, amendments were made to the Military Service Obligation Act, which allowed contracts to be signed with convicted citizens under mobilisation conditions. Exceptions include individuals convicted of crimes related to sexual violence against children, terrorism, disclosure of state secrets, and other serious crimes. However, the recruitment mechanism was not detailed in the content of the law.
According to findings by "Significant Stories", which analysed thousands of social media posts about the disappearances of Russian soldiers, from February to September 2023, over 30,000 people were recruited from Russian penal institutions into "Storm Z" units. To achieve this, recruiters from the Ministry of Defence visited at least 108 penal colonies across the country.
The authors of the investigation emphasise that "Storm Z" soldiers and their families do not receive insurance in case of injury or death, nor do they have the right to veteran status for participation in military operations. Additionally, their remuneration often turns out to be significantly lower than the pay of mobilised or contract soldiers.
