Criminal suspects are being recruited in Russia and occupied territories to fight in Ukraine – Russian media

Representatives of Russia’s Investigative Committee and other "law enforcement bodies" in Ukraine’s occupied territories and neighbouring Russian oblasts have started recruiting persons of interest in criminal investigations for the war against Ukraine.

Source: Russia media outlet Kommersant, citing sources in the legal system

Details: Kommersant found that during and after investigative actions, suspects are being handed documents describing the prospects of military service instead of a prison sentence. Contracts with the new recruits are signed by the military on the investigators’ recommendation.

The document in question, which may be presented to the suspect by the head or deputy head of an investigative body of Russia’s Investigative Committee, is called a "Razyasnenie" (Explanation). It states the identification data of the person subject to criminal prosecution and notifies them of the particular provisions of the Russian Criminal Code that allow them to avoid criminal responsibility by being drafted into the military during a mobilisation period or by signing a contract with the Armed Forces of Russia.

This option is not available to paedophiles, terrorists, saboteurs, traitors, manufacturers of weapons of mass destruction, mercenaries and so on.

For any other criminal suspects, the investigation may, with the prosecutor’s permission, be suspended and subsequently terminated at the request of the command of the military unit in which the suspect is to serve. To shake off a criminal case completely, the suspect must seek dismissal from the armed forces, including on health grounds, or receive a state award, the Explanation says.

"However, as a rule, individuals who have been seriously wounded or rewarded [by the state for outstanding performance – ed.] are not demobilised, but transferred from the ‘convict’ units to ordinary units," Kommersant says.

After the Explanation is handed to the suspect, the suspect must sign it, specifying whether they want to sign a military contract. The document is then sent on to the military, and if the suspect meets their requirements, the commander of the military unit will request the investigators to suspend the case.

According to Kommersant’s source, this procedure is being used in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine and neighbouring Russian oblasts. It is gradually spreading to other regions as well.

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