Freedom only through the front: the Kremlin completely abandoned the civil amnesty for convicts
Фото: СЗРУ
In Russia, last week, the State Duma rejected all civil amnesty projects submitted in 2020–2025. At the same time, the Kremlin maintains the practice of releasing convicts to participate in the war against Ukraine.
This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
According to the agency, the Russian authorities continue to view prisoners as an expendable resource for waging war. In one day, deputies of the Russian State Duma rejected 8 amnesty bills submitted during 2020–2025.
Among them was the initiative of the so-called “broad amnesty”, which provided for the mitigation of punishment not for persons convicted of serious crimes, but for certain social groups, in particular:
- veterans;
- women with children;
- people with disabilities;
- protest participants;
- persons convicted of collaborating with “undesirable” foreign NGOs.
The deputies also denied amnesty to journalists, critics of the government, wives and widows of “svo” members, as well as entrepreneurs.
The SZRU recalled that the last large-scale amnesty in Russia was carried out in 2015, and a 10-year hiatus is unprecedented in the entire duration of the Russian constitution.
The explanatory note of the State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation states that the amnesty has allegedly “lost its relevance” due to the “humanization” of criminal legislation. At the same time, according to the SZRU, it actually involves selective exemption from liability of mobilized and contract workers, as well as limited exemptions for pregnant women and mothers of children under 14 years old.
The intelligence community emphasizes that against this background, the Russian penal system continues to release those convicted of serious crimes due to their participation in the war, who, upon returning to civilian life, again commit violent acts.
According to official figures, since 2022, Russian courts have convicted more than 8,000 members of the “svo” group, nearly 900 of whom were involved in violent crimes. At least 423 people have died as a result of their actions.
Recall that the Russian Federation is actively involving foreign mercenaries in the war against Ukraine . According to Ukrainian intelligence, up to 25,000 Cuban citizens may be fighting on the side of the Russian Federation. This makes the Cuban contingent the largest among foreigners in the ranks of the Russian troops.
As reported, the Kremlin is actively recruiting residents of the Middle East to participate in the war against Ukraine , in particular, the Russian Federation is conducting large-scale campaigns together with Iran.
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