Russian prisoners released to fight in Ukraine given ‘written consent’ forms rather than contracts

Russian prisoners granted early release from jail after being recruited to fight in the war in Ukraine have been revealed to have signed “written consent forms” rather than standard contracts with the Defence Ministry, BBC News Russian reported on Friday.

The BBC unearthed court documents revealing a Russian programme to create volunteer assault squads made up of prisoners, widely referred to as Storm Z units. According to the BBC, those recruited for such roles were transferred to a penal colony in Russia’s southern Rostov region and given an “agreement on voluntary assistance to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation” to sign.

By signing the document, prisoners confirmed that they were entering military service voluntarily and that their “decision to protect the people and the fatherland” was a way of “atoning for their crimes”.

“This consent form is not a contract setting out the rights and liabilities of each of the parties,” a court in the southern Russian city of Volgograd explained in one ruling refusing to provide army benefits to an ex-convict.

The commanders of these assault units had initially issued orders for former prisoners to be enrolled as personnel on a contractual basis, but at the end of their service merely dismissed them with paperwork saying they had fought in the “special military operation”.

The authorities subsequently asked for further adjustments, noting that what had been termed a “contract” should now be seen as a “consent form”.

According to the BBC, former prisoners who served at the front have returned home without certification either of their injuries or of their service in the war, and have been refused veteran status as a result.

Besides earning significantly less than professional soldiers, the former prisoners are not eligible for benefits if they are disabled or severely wounded in combat, nor do their relatives receive payments if they are killed.