Russia is being forced to recruit prison inmates due to an “increasingly severe” manpower shortage, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Inmates are being offered cash payments and having their sentences commuted to persuade them to sign up for the war in Ukraine.
The news comes after Ukraine re-took large parts of previously-occupied land in the north and east of the country in what many see as a potential turning point in the war.
According to the latest MoD intelligence update, Kremlin-linked private military company the Wagner Group is carrying out the prison recruitment drive.
They said the scheme was first launched in July, but has now been “reinvigorated” as Moscow continues to suffer major losses in the war.
The MoD said: “Prisoners have been offered commutation of their sentences as well as cash incentives.
“This has been reinvigorated, with recently posted video highly likely showing Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin making a recruitment pitch to prisoners. In the video, Prigozhin emphasises that he is only seeking ‘fighters for assault units’.”
In a further sign of Russia’s need to get more troops to the frontline, the MoD said Moscow’s military academies “are shortening training courses and bringing cadets graduation dates forwards”.
“This is almost certainly so cadets can be deployed to support the Ukraine operation,” they said. “The impact of Russia’s manpower challenge has become increasingly severe.
“The acceleration of officer cadets’ training, and Wagner’s demand for assault troops suggests that two of the most critical shortages within the military manning crisis are probably combat infantry and junior commanders.”