Footage circulating virally online of a Russian woman recruited from a civilian prison, now a soldier in the Kremlin’s armed forces, shows her storming the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU), as reportedly filmed by a frontline UAV unit
The video was posted by the operators of the UAV systems battalion of the 47th Mechanized Brigade and noted that the woman was trained and had high-quality ammunition.
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“She was trained and had high-quality ammunition, but she failed to escape from our kamikaze drone, as did one of her comrades,” the Ukrainian soldier said, adding that, “for us it makes no difference what gender the enemy is. The invaders must die in severe pain. There will be no other way!”
In April, Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR), told the Kyiv Post that the Kremlin is willingly recruiting female prisoners of all specialties: “We are talking about auxiliary units, but combat units as well, if needed,” Yusov said.
Women prisoners are promised money and the opportunity to return home. In turn, the convicted women agree to such conditions, because they are convinced by propaganda that they will return home alive. However, these are just dreams.
“Most of the women prisoners recruited by the Russian Federation died or returned home with severe injuries,” said Yusov.
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 2, 2024
He said a minority of recruited female prisoners return home alive and unharmed
“As of today, prisoners in the Russian Federation sign contracts on a general basis.” Yusov said. “That is, the contract specifies a term of up to 5 years, but the contract is automatically extended until the end of the so-called combat service.”
The prison administrators are using new ways to pressure the prisoners to go to war. The convicts are threatened with new criminal cases if they don’t agree to go to the front.
Prisoners are again promised to be released from criminal prosecution if they go to Ukraine.
On Sunday, June 30, some Telegram channels and milbloggers published information that the first units of the so-called “Storm Z” consisting of women mobilized from Russian prisons were spotted in the combat zone.
According to the report, the Russian women penetrate the near rear zone and pose as locals. The women gain the trust of the Ukrainian service members by providing sexual services and learning important information about the units. At night, they can also simply kill an AFU soldier who stays with them for the night or who invites them to his home.
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