Russia released a group of women from prison in late May to fight in Ukraine, possibly marking a new phase in the Kremlin’s use of criminals in its war, according to two former prisoners who are in contact with those still behind bars.
Recruiters collected several women from a prison outside St. Petersburg, former prisoners said, and their names were withheld to protect them from possible reprisals. It’s unclear whether their release represents an isolated case, a pilot program or the start of a larger wave of recruitment of female prisoners.
When the invasion began, approximately 30,000 women served in Russia.
Recruiters began touring women’s prisons in parts of Europe in Russia in the fall of 2023, more than a year after the country’s military began offering pardons and wages to convicted men in exchange for combat service. Yet, so far, convicted women who enlisted have remained incarcerated without official explanation, according to interviews with former and current inmates at four Russian women’s prisons.
Tens of thousands of imprisoned Russian men answered the military’s call, replenishing the country’s invading force at a critical moment in the war and helping it regain military superiority over Ukraine. Thousands of people were killed in Ukraine. Some who survived and discharged their military service have since committed serious crimes, including homicide.
The recruitment of female prisoners comes as the Russian government increasingly resorts to unorthodox programs to attract volunteers from the fringes of Russian society in an attempt to avoid another round of unpopular conscription. In addition to prison inmates, these recruitment programs also target debtors, people accused of crimes, and foreigners.
Russia’s Defense Ministry and Prison Service did not respond to past requests for comment on the country’s prison recruitment program.
It’s unclear what role the recruited women will play on the front lines. Recruiters who visited a prison near St. Petersburg last year offered prisoners one-year contracts as snipers, combat medics and front-line radio operators, a big departure from the primarily support positions held by most Russian female service members. About 40 of the prison’s 400 inmates at the time signed up.
They received pardons and compensation equivalent to about $2,000 a month, about 10 times the national minimum wage.
Two women who witnessed the 2023 prison recruitment drive told The New York Times that inmates signed up despite visiting officers pointing out the dangers.
The former prisoners say strict conditions in Russia’s women’s prisons have contributed to some women’s decision to enlist. The women said inmates at a prison near St. Petersburg must remain silent at all times and perform forced labor for up to 12 hours a day in the prison’s sawmill, even in winter’s sub-zero temperatures.
Ukraine is also using prisoner soldiers. After long deriding Russia’s prison recruitment, the Kiev government last month approved a similar program amid growing troop shortages. Ukrainian officials say thousands of prisoners have since applied to join the army.
