Russia to further simplify military recruitment for prisoners from jails
The Russian government has submitted a package of bills to the State Duma that expand the list of crimes for which a criminal record will not prevent signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense for subsequent deployment to the war against Ukraine, writes The Moscow Times.
According to the initiative, it is proposed to exclude a number of articles of the Criminal Code from the list of restrictions, including those on smuggling cash, participating in a gang, illegal interference in the operation of critically important facilities, violating industrial safety requirements, illegal trafficking of nuclear materials, their theft, smuggling strategically important goods and drugs, organizing illegal migration, as well as losing documents containing state secrets.
However, the ban on signing a contract is proposed to be maintained for those convicted of crimes against the sexual integrity of minors, terrorism, sabotage, espionage, state treason, and a number of other serious crimes.
Since November 2022, Russia has allowed the mobilization of citizens with criminal records for most serious crimes, including murder, robbery, assault, and illegal drug trafficking. In June 2023, a law was passed allowing contracts for service in the Armed Forces to be signed with convicted persons and those under investigation. Later, the scope of this norm was extended to include defendants whose cases are being heard in courts.
Amid the expansion of such practices, the number of prisoners in Russian jails and colonies continues to decline. According to Arkady Gostev, head of the Federal Penitentiary Service, as of May 2026, about 282,000 people were held in places of deprivation of liberty. This is the lowest figure since the early 2000s.
For comparison, at the end of 2021, about 465,000 people were held in Russian colonies and jails. And as recently as March 2026, the Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court reported that about 308,000 people were held in pre-trial detention centers and correctional facilities in Russia.
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