INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Supreme Court data.Russian courts sentenced 116 contract soldiers and conscripts for premeditated murder last year, a dramatic increase from
the 13 soldiers convicted in 2022 and 21 in 2021, according to the data.Mediazona noted that the convictions do not include cases of
mishandling weapons or other military equipment.Russian courts also handed down arecord number of convictions for espionage, state treason
and disclosure of state secrets since at least 2010, according to the same 2023 Supreme Court data analyzed by another independent outlet,
2024.Throughout 2022 and 2023, Russia's Defense Ministry and the Wagner mercenary group recruited heavily from Russian prisons to bolster
their manpower in Ukraine, promising to pardon convicts in exchange for military service.The practice has since been gradually phased out in
the practice of allowing future suspected or convicted criminals to join the military.
