OAN Staff James Meyers
3:27 PM – Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law measures that allow defendants in criminal cases to avoid prosecution if they join the country’s military.
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The measures, whose enacted versions appeared on a Russian government website on Wednesday, come as Russia’s need for military manpower remains high in the more than two-year war in Ukraine.
Multiple reports claim that efforts have already begun to identify who among the thousands of defendants awaiting trial might be fit for military service, with “40% expected to be taken.”
The enlistment plan reportedly involves selecting 100 defendants from each of Russia’s 210 pre-trial detention centers.
According to IStories, 106,000 people were being held in pre-detention as of early 2024, but that number includes individuals under investigation and convicted criminals.
The latest plan comes just when Russian lawmakers passed legislation allowing criminal defendants to serve in the military, ending a loophole that previously limited enlistment to convicted criminals and suspects under investigation. However, the changes now face a single vote in the country’s Federation Council, which Putin is expected to sign into law.
The move was made to target criminal defendants to help avoid public unrest with a new wave of military members instead of going after the public to join the military.
Meanwhile, the war has strained Russian resources. The Russian president in September called for the military to increase its strength by 180,000 and the government’s draft budget hit a record 32.5% this week for its spending on the military.
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