The number of prisoners recruited to fight in Ukraine has risen to 20,000, with 5,000 recruited in one week, a prisoner rights advocate says.
after Moscow has struggled to find manpower to sustain its invasion, which is nearing the eight-month mark.
Romanova told Agentstvo that just a week ago, a total of 15,000 Russian prisoners had been recruited to fight. She said the sudden increase is due to the Wagner Group recruiting prisoners in penal colonies east of the Ural Mountains, which divides Russia's European and Asian regions. Servicemen of the Russian National Guard are pictured Thursday just outside the Kremlin in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin placed several Russian regions, including Moscow, on"increased alert." Russia has reportedly turned to prisons for soldiers to fight in Ukraine.Previously, the Wagner Group only sent representatives to the European part of Russia for recruits, she said.