In an effort to increase the country’s need to mobilise soldiers to fight against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill on Saturday allowing persons with pending convictions for murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and other major crimes to be conscripted. The news follows allegations made by the UK Ministry of Defence last month that the Wagner Group, a network of mercenaries controlled by Russian organisations, had begun hiring Russian prisoners with life-threatening illnesses like HIV and Hepatitis C.
People who were convicted of treason, espionage, terrorism, sexual assault against children, and other crimes are among the ex-offenders who were spared from the recruitment attempt.The act signed by Vladimir Putin covers conditionally sentenced offenders.As long as their conviction hasn’t been overturned, these people must be kept under police monitoring.
President Vladimir Putin had earlier on Friday claimed that the Kremlin has already mobilised 18,000 more soldiers than its target of 300,000 conscriptions to advance its military operation in Ukraine. Prior to that, the Russian Ministry of Defence had said that all mobilisation efforts were under suspicion since the goal of recruiting 300,000 troops from the general public had been met this week.
The UN Security Council will convene on Monday, November 7, and Russia has requested a discussion on the claimed Ukrainian attack on its Black Sea Fleet. A UN-backed deal to let the transfer of food from Ukraine via a secure Black Sea route was terminated by the Kremlin, who used the attack as their justification. After the Turkish involvement on November 2, Russia later rejoined the agreement.
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