A new rule established by the Russian parliament permits those who are being prosecuted to serve in the war in Ukraine in order to avoid trial and perhaps incarceration.

This statute allows defendants to sign a contract to enlist in the Russian military in exchange for having their charges reduced.

Approximately 100 individuals from each pre-trial detention center in Russia are anticipated to accept the offer, potentially increasing the military’s strength by almost 20,000 soldiers altogether. Although individual courts will eventually decide whether to drop charges, this structure should theoretically apply to all crimes.

The law gives convicted people the chance to “repay their debts to society” by joining the army, according to Andrey Kartapolov, the deputy who pushed the bill in the State Duma.

In Russia, this hiring procedure has a long history. The Soviet Union employed convicts to strengthen its armies against the Nazis during World War II. The Wagner Group, once headed by Victor Prigozhin, has more recently recruited inmates to fight in Ukraine.

But the law has drawn a lot of criticism.

The action was referred to as “a daring legal experiment on society” by Ekaterina Schulmann, a political expert at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre in Berlin.

She cautioned that enticing convicted criminals to engage in combat in return for freedom compromises the values of justice and the rule of law.

“To do this, you must be extremely desperate,” Schulmann remarked. “A society cannot function properly if it tolerates this level of crime.”

With increasing losses on both sides, Russia has had difficulty recruiting volunteers for the conflict, which is now in its third year. Russia is thought to have lost between 400,000 and 700,000 people killed or injured, while Ukraine is thought to have lost between 200,000 and 500,000.

However, pro-Kremlin activists have praised the measure, viewing it as a way for law-abiding civilians to escape the perils of war.

On Telegram, blogger Kirill Fyodorov stated, “The front line is no picnic.” Would you allow your husband, brother, or son to storm minefields in their place?