Russian prisoners forced to join the ranks of the Wagner PMC, threatening new criminal cases, the Agency reports, referring to the words of two lawyers and human rights activist.
According to lawyer Yana Gelmel, they put pressure in the prisoners in the colonies of the Samara and Rostov regions, the Krasnodar Territory and the regions of the North Caucasus.
“Operators of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the FSB come, promise to raise old cases of 10-20 years ago, by which the statute of limitations has already passed, scare that they will initiate cases for those who refuse to go to war,” Gelmel said.
ANSAULENKO, human rights activist Oksana Asaulenko also reported on such pressure methods in the colonies of the Perm Territory. As an example, she cited the prisoner who remained 5 months before the release. According to a man’s mother, in his last conversation, he made it clear that he was forced to sign a contract with the Wagner PMC.
Another lawyer who asked not to name his name confirmed that prisoners were recruited with the help of threats. According to a lawyer, the most active set is in the colonies of the regions that are located near the Ukrainian border.
The sources of the Agency also report that in the investigative isolators the arrested began to offer to join the Wagner, promising to close criminal cases. This practice has developed in the SIZO-1 Samara, in the SIZO-5 Moscow, as well as in the isolator in Perm.
According to Yana Helmel, the new methods of recruitment of Russian prisoners are due to the fact that fewer people are ready to conclude a contract with PMCs, since the colonies began to reach the number of those killed and wounded among those who agreed to go to war in the summer and autumn of 2022 .