Convicted Murderer Released to Join Ukraine Fight

Tamerlan Eskerkhanov, convicted as an accomplice in the 2015 murder of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, has been released from prison after signing a contract to join military operations in Ukraine. He was pardoned and discharged from his 14-year sentence in March 2024, subsequently joining an assault unit in the conflict zone. Eskerkhanov's release has drawn criticism from Ilya Yashin, Nemtsov's former spokesman, who labeled it a 'scorn for memory of my dead friend.' Other convicts involved in the Nemtsov case remain imprisoned due to their refusal to enlist. This recruitment tactic, initially used by the Wagner Group, has seen tens of thousands of prisoners volunteer for military service in exchange for clemency offers. The trend of recruiting convicts into the military has been a significant component of Russia's strategy since the onset of its invasion of Ukraine.