Russian Parliament passes law allowing accused persons to fight in Ukraine war or face trial

The Russian parliament has passed a new law allowing individuals facing prosecution to avoid trial and potential imprisonment by enlisting to fight in the war in Ukraine.

Under this law, defendants can appeal to the courts to have charges dropped in exchange for signing a contract to join the Russian armed forces.

Pre-trial detention centres across Russia are expecting around 100 people from each facility to take up the offer, which could boost the military by approximately 20,000 soldiers overall. The decision to dismiss charges will ultimately rest with individual judges but in theory, no crimes are exempt from this arrangement.

Andrey Kartapolov, the Deputy who championed the bill in the State Duma, stated that the law offers an opportunity for accused individuals to “repay their debts to society” by serving in the army.

This recruitment practice has a historical precedent in Russia. During World War II, the Soviet Union used prisoners to bolster forces against the Nazis. More recently, prisoners were recruited by the Wagner Group, previously led by Victor Prigozhin, to fight in Ukraine.

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However, the law has sparked significant criticism.

Ekaterina Schulmann, a political analyst from the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre in Berlin, described the move as “a daring legal experiment on society.”

She warned that encouraging accused criminals to fight in exchange for freedom undermines the principles of justice and the rule of law.

“You have to be really desperate to do this,” Schulmann said. “No society can function properly while encouraging crime at this level.”

Russia has struggled to find volunteers for the war, which has now entered its third year, with mounting casualties on both sides. Estimates suggest that Russia has suffered between 400,000 to 700,000 killed or wounded, while Ukrainian casualties are estimated between 200,000 and 500,000.

Pro-Kremlin activists, however, have welcomed the law, seeing it as an alternative for law-abiding citizens to avoid the dangers of war.

Blogger Kirill Fyodorov wrote on Telegram, “The front line is no picnic. Are you willing for your son, brother, or husband to stand in for them while storming minefields?”