Russians accused of crimes had a choice – to fight in Ukraine instead of going to court

Payment records show that more than 17,000 prisoners were killed trying to capture the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine between July 2022 and June 2023 alone.

To make up for the losses, Wagner and, later, the Ministry of Defense, adapted their recruitment strategies to expand the number of people they can call on.

Some people accused of crimes refuse the new deal because they are against war in principle, others because the risk of dying or being injured on the battlefield is too great, and others because they want to stay at home and fight their case.

But they can come under enormous pressure from the authorities, says Alina, Andrey Perlov’s daughter.

“He refused and we made a lot of noise in the local media, so he was sent to the strict punishment cell, where they brought him the contract again.”

She adds that when he refused the second time, he was banned from seeing or calling his family.

They still hope to prove his innocence, but the last time Alina saw her father in court, in mid-July, he had lost a lot of weight. “He tries to stay cheerful,” she says, “but if this continues, they will break him.”

We asked Russian authorities about Andrey Perlov’s case and whether they are unfairly pressuring detainees to join the army. They didn’t respond.