Europe
Putin signs law giving criminal defendants immunity if they join the army
By
The Washington Post October 2, 2024
Francesca Ebel and Natalia Abbakumova
The Washington Post October 2, 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday approved a new law that will exempt Russian defendants and suspects who have signed up to fight in the army from criminal liability. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg)
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday approved a new law that will exempt Russian defendants and suspects who have signed up to fight in the army from criminal liability.
The bill was introduced by the Russian Supreme Court this summer and passed by Russia’s parliament after three readings and will save defendants from facing trial and from criminal prosecution.
Previously, only Russians who had been convicted or were under investigation had the option to sign a contract with the Defense Ministry and join the “Special Military Operation,” the Kremlin’s euphemism for its war against Ukraine. This new bill is intended to close the gap in the chain so that anyone facing criminal charges at any stage can sign a contract and avoid prison.
Russian independent outlet Important Stories reported earlier this month that with the new bill Russian authorities expect to send roughly 20,000 additional defendants, including people under investigation and those held in pretrial detention centers across Russia, to the front lines.
Since the first year of the war, Russia has actively recruited from its sprawling, overcrowded prison system, first through Wagner, the shadowy private military group headed by Yevgeniy Prigozhin, and later through Storm Z schemes set up by the Ministry of Defense. Thousands of criminals were promised that they could walk free and have their convictions removed if they signed six-month contracts to fight in Ukraine.
There have been countless cases of criminals returning from the front only to reoffend. A Russian murderer who was released in 2022 from a 14-year prison sentence to join Wagner, went on to kill an 85-year-old elderly woman in her home and was put back in prison. He was released a second time to return to the front this summer, according to relatives of the woman.
Since the start of the invasion, Russia has held off from launching a general draft, calculating that it would be widely unpopular. A partial mobilization in September 2022 caused tens of thousands of Russians to flee the country.