War instead of prison: almost a third of Russian convicts have already died

According to glavcom.ua: From the beginning of July 2024 to the end of April 2025, the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces suffered serious losses among new servicemen who were recruited from among convicts or individuals under investigation. This was reported on the 'Glavkom' website, citing the Main Intelligence Directorate.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, during this period, 14,560 such individuals were enlisted in the occupying forces, who signed contracts to avoid criminal responsibility and earn money.

According to internal reports of the occupying forces, only from January to April 2025, irretrievable losses among this 'special contingent' amounted to at least 4,212 people

. This number includes those killed or missing, not counting the wounded. Many young people aged 18-19 were among the deceased, including Private Sergey Mikhailovich Saprykin of the 111th Rifle Regiment, born in 2006.

The Kremlin's Policy and Military Refusal

The Main Intelligence Directorate notes that these losses are a testament to the ruthless policies of the Kremlin, which treats youth and marginalized groups as 'consumables' in the war against Ukraine. This also indicates the Russian army's dependence on unconventional sources of personnel replenishment due to high losses and insufficient willingness of the population to fight.

According to reports, the Russian Federation continues to prolong the war and refuses peaceful initiatives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that Russian leader Vladimir Putin remains dependent on war and murders, and therefore needs a strong reaction from partners, including strengthening Ukraine's defense and new sanctions against the Russian Federation.

Reports of a significant decrease in the number of new servicemen in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, recruited from among convicts and individuals under investigation, indicate a difficult situation in the Russian army and the futility of the Kremlin's policies in conducting the war against Ukraine. In such conditions, the loss of young lives is an excessive price for the aggressive actions of the Russian authorities.