Soulless choice: how Russian women prisoners are used at the front

Russians recruit women in prisons / Collage 24 Channel

In recent months, a story has been unfolding about women being recruited from Russian prisons and sent to the front. They are offered jobs as snipers or signalmen and are promised that they will be at a distance from the fighting.

There is not much information yet about the recruitment of women, but we already know about 50 prisoners from the Republic of Khakassia who went to the front. Russian human rights activist and founder of the Gulagu.net organization Vladimir Osechkin told Channel 24 about this, adding that they probably want to deceive women into using them in the war.

For what needs do Russians attract women?

Women in Russian colonies live in completely different conditions than men. Men are accustomed to a certain solidarity; they have mobile communications, access to information, and at least minimal communication with their families. In women's colonies, all this is practically absent.

As a rule, women in prisons are left alone, no one is waiting for them, and men leave them. The operatives also put pressure on them, because any woman who is offered cooperation in exchange for a call to the children or the opportunity to see them will agree. Therefore, they come to them to recruit and play on their feelings.

A Russian human rights activist explained how women are recruited in prisons: watch the video

For example, a woman in prison may be told that she will serve another 7-8 years, during which time her children will grow up in orphanages, and she will lose all her health, but if she agrees to cooperate, she will be able to get out in six months.

Of course, this is a callous choice they give them, so the women agree. I don’t justify them, but we need to understand the conditions in which they find themselves,” emphasized Vladimir Osechkin.

Russian women are offered jobs as signalmen, but it is obvious that a person without any experience will not be jailed for the law. Consequently, women are forced to work in morgues, medical institutions, some are sent to occupied territory – all this is work that civilians do not want to do for any salary.

“They can also dig trenches. In general, they do all the dirtiest work that a Russian career military man does not want to do,” Osechkin added.

How Russians recruit people into the army

• To participate in the war against Ukraine, Vladimir Putin pardoned a brutal murderer who had to spend 17 years in prison. Vladislav Kanyus killed his girlfriend. He inflicted more than 100 wounds on her, especially disfigured her face, and finally raped her and strangled her with an iron cord. However, in the spring of 2023, Putin pardoned him by personal decree, and in the summer the criminal was at the front.
• The Russians are trying to replenish their reserves by forcing Ukrainians from the occupied territories to fight. According to GUR representative Andrey Yusov, the worst situation is in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, followed by Crimea and the southern regions, where forced passportization is taking place. Intelligence called this war crimes against civilians.
• Ukrainian military personnel confirm that they have already met Russian women who were recruited at the front. In particular, they saw female snipers, but it is unknown how many there are in the enemy army.