'Rapists, murderers and maniac cannibal': A look at the 35,000 prisoners recruited by Putin to fight in Ukraine

New Delhi: Rapists, murderers, and even a maniac cannibal, according to a report, are among 35,000 prisoners that have been recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine.

These prisoners have even been promised that they will be pardoned if they survive the battlefield, a Daily Mail report said.

According to the report, Russia’s Wagner Group which is known to provide mercenaries has played a crucial role in the recruitment process.

The report added that Wagner chief Vevgeny Progozhin visited the former Gulag prisoner camp territory of eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East to sign up yet more convicts.

It is believed that thousands of these prisoners have already died on the battlefield, the report said.

Nearly 40 inmates have been executed for desertion or treason, Olga Romanova, from human rights group Russia Behind Bars told Mozhem Obyasnit media outlet, according to The Daily Mail.

“They have also taken a maniac from a jail in Saratov region who has cannibalism in his portfolio,” she added.

Russia’s partial military mobilisation

It should be noted that in September 2022 following a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation to recruit 300,000 troops.

However, the decision was met with a massive backlash with many Russian men of military age fleeing abroad to escape the mobilisation.

With inputs from agencies

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