Prison recruits describe atrocities at “Wagner” – now they are fighting for Ukraine. New York Times says that current prison recruitment has not been this large since World War II.
As long as he can compensate for the front's losses with prisoners, a second round of mobilization of the broader Russian population will be delayed. Critics and those who oppose Putin fare badly. Prigozhin, the former leader of the Wagner mercenaries, died in a plane crash in June 2023 after repeatedly criticizing Putin and mercenaries.