Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to criticism after it emerged that he let free a convicted murderer earlier this week.
Convicted murderer Vladislav Kanyus was only jailed in July this year for killing his ex-girlfriend, but in a remarkable turn of events he will regain his freedom only four months into his 17-year-long sentence.
But, his freedom will come at a cost. Kanyus, who was convicted of killing his 23-year-old ex-girlfriend Vera Pekhteleva in Kemerovo, Siberia, in 2020, has been released on the condition that he fights for Putin's war-mongering army in Ukraine.
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It's not the first time that Putin has looked to prisoners for help in his war effort, as recent months have seen the Russian leader look for reinforcements from across the countries prison system.
Dmitry Peskov, press secretary for the Russian president attempted to explain the warped logic behind the idea to let prisoners fight in Ukraine, he said: "They atone with blood for crimes on the battlefield, in assault brigades, under bullets, under shells."
Agentstvo, an investigative site set-up in Russia in 2021, have said that Kanyus is among sixteen other former murderous inmates to have joined the country's war effort in Ukraine, some of whom have allegedly gone on to commit further crimes after their return to Russia.
The mother of Kanyus' victim said that she found out about his release to fight in Ukraine in June this year.
The mother of the murdered woman said in June that she found out Kanyus
In December last year, male prisoners were offered reduced sentences and cash in exchange for six months of military service in Ukraine, and that figure could be as high as 30,000 according to Russian human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin.
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Added to this Putin has also called up women to front-line roles as well as migrant workers with Russian citizenship.
Media in Russia also reported former fighters belonging to the Wagner Group committed a series of crimes after returning from Ukraine. The Wagner Group, which has reportedly been a part of the Russian Defence Ministry since the death of their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin has also recruited from prisons since last year.
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