Russia To Expand its Recruitment of Prisoners for the War

Russia plans to expand the list of crimes for which a criminal record will not prevent a person from signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense to be subsequently sent to fight in the war against Ukraine. The government has submitted a corresponding package of bills to the State Duma.

The Moscow Times reported on this.

Since November 2022, Russia has been permitted to mobilize citizens with criminal convictions for the most serious crimes, including murder, robbery, armed robbery, and drug trafficking.

In June 2023, the State Duma passed a law allowing contracts to be signed with convicted criminals and those under investigation, and this provision was later extended to include defendants as well.

Under the new initiative, it is proposed to remove several articles from the Criminal Code from the list of restrictions, including those concerning the smuggling of cash, participation in a criminal organization, unlawful interference with the operation of critical infrastructure, violations of industrial safety requirements, unlawful handling of nuclear materials, theft thereof, smuggling of strategically important goods and narcotics, organizing illegal migration, as well as the loss of documents containing state secrets.

At the same time, it is proposed to maintain the ban on entering into contracts for those convicted of crimes against the sexual integrity of minors, terrorism, sabotage, espionage, treason, and several other serious crimes.

Amid this expanding practice, the number of inmates in Russian penal colonies continues to decline. As of May 2026, there were 282,000 people in prisons, whereas in March that figure stood at 308,000.

This is the lowest figure since the early 2000s. By comparison, at the end of 2021, the number of inmates stood at 465,000.

Plans to expand prisoner recruitment are being implemented amid a crisis in recruiting new contract soldiers for the Russian Federation’s armed forces. In the first quarter of 2026, the influx of new recruits in Moscow and the regions decreased by an average of one-third compared to the same period in 2025.

This has already led to a shortfall of approximately 5% in the annual contract recruitment target, whereas in previous years these targets were exceeded.

The decline is occurring despite a significant increase in cash payments for contract signing. A brief surge in the number of people willing to fight was observed at the beginning of the year, driven by expectations of a quick ceasefire and a desire to earn money before hostilities were suspended.

Faced with a shortage of volunteers, Russia began actively recruiting individuals under investigation and those in custody in exchange for the dismissal of criminal cases before sentences were handed down; it established “quotas” for companies and universities to send “volunteers”; and it launched a covert recruitment campaign under the guise of “civilian job openings” in the rear.