The latest laws passed by the State Duma establish that convicts and prisoners may sign military contracts only with the Ministry of Defense, not with private military companies (PMCs). This stance was reported by Interfax and attributed to Pavel Krasheninnikov, who chairs the Duma Committee on Legislative and State Building.
“There had been reports that pensioners or people under administrative supervision could be recruited and sign agreements. A new legal framework now dictates that contracts be concluded exclusively with the Ministry of Defense, with the process clearly defined,” the deputy stated.
He noted that PMCs have lost a portion of their operational capacity and can no longer recruit from those facilities.
At the same time, a stand-alone bill to regulate PMC activity within Russia was described as unnecessary by Andrei Klishas, the Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building.
“Urgent issues are being solved in real time. For example, individuals under investigation may contract only with the Defense Department. It does not seem relevant at the moment to draft a separate law on PMCs,” he said in an interview with Interfax.
Andrey Kartapolov, who leads the State Duma Defense Committee, told RIA Novosti that a draft law on PMCs cannot be ready before autumn 2023 because it requires extensive study.
Crimean Senator Sergei Tsekov told RIA Novosti that there is merit in enacting PMCs legislation in Russia. He argued that in conflicts they should operate under the Ministry of Defense’s oversight.
“I do not believe PMCs should be banned. A law should be passed to address their status and practical questions, recognizing that private entities operate under Russian law just like any other private companies.”
On June 24, President Vladimir Putin signed a law permitting conscripts to be called up for contract service during mobilization or martial law.
Under the new framework, only prisoners who have not committed serious crimes such as terrorism, treason, or espionage would be eligible to contract.
The Department of Defense may sign contracts with individuals who have completed sentences, including those with quenched or expunged convictions, and those who have committed minor offenses, provided preliminary investigations are suspended.
Additionally, category B individuals—those with limited fitness—may join as contract soldiers, though they are not required to have diseases listed by the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation.
Previously, some prisoners participated in hostilities in Ukraine through Wagner PMC. In May, the founder of the group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, estimated that about 50,000 convicts had joined, with around one-fifth losing their lives. By mid-June, he reported that 32,000 veterans who had served in penal facilities had returned to Russia and been discharged.
On February 9, Prigozhin announced that Wagner had halted prisoner recruitment. He explained that there had been a lack of new sign-ups in colonies for more than a month, and he did not visit the colonies himself.
“Yes, recruitment of prisoners by the Wagner PMC has stopped entirely. All obligations to those currently serving are fulfilled,” stated the PMC leader.
Earlier, on January 5, Prigozhin announced that the first group of prisoners who signed with Wagner had completed their contracts, with ex-prisoners reportedly completing their duties with dignity and earning societal respect.
Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov noted that the amnesty procedure was carried out in full compliance with Russian law and that decisions on pardoning prisoners in PMCs were classified as secret.
The exposure of prisoner recruitment from Russian colonies to join the SVO first emerged in mid-2022. In September, the VChK OGPU Telegram channel circulated a video featuring a man resembling Prigozhin urging prisoners to sign contracts with PMCs in a penal colony near Yoshkar-Ola.