
In a bold and controversial move, Russia’s defense ministry has been using prisoners of war in their military endeavors against Ukraine. Referred to as Storm-Z, these specialized army units have become the backbone of Putin’s invasive “special military operation”. Intriguingly, the ‘Z’ insignia decorating their military wear denotes not only their affiliation with Putin’s forces, but it is a symbolic nod to the first letter of the Russian term “zek”, signifying “inmate”.
Despite not being officially recognized, Storm-Z units have been deployed in various sectors of Ukraine, closely echoing the earlier tactics of the Wagner mercenary group, who initially initiated the trend of utilizing prisoners as expendable combatants. Alongside virtual cannon fodder, lot of men from other military sectors who were found guilty of insubordination or drunkenness found themselves dispatched to Storm-Z ranks as punishment.
Previously, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner’s head and a figure close to Putin, had been granted the authority to recruit from the prison population. He promised these convicts the bait of freedom and the quashing of their criminal records if they survived six months of service on the Ukrainian frontline. Despite incurring heavy losses, Wagner’s constituted fighting force of seasoned mercenaries and convicts displayed credible warfare prowess in a number of contested territories, including the eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut.
Prigozhin, however, faced a tragic demise in a plane crash, along with other leading figures of Wagner, after openly criticizing Russia’s military higher-ups for their inefficacy and accusing them of wilfully withholding ammunition. With a depleted command structure, Wagner’s presence on the Ukrainian battlefield gradually faded into non-existence.
Bearing the torch of Prigozhin’s vision, the defence ministry assumed the task of conscripting inmates for the Ukrainian battlegrounds. Reminiscent of Wagner’s earlier scheme, prisoners were offered, in exchange for their service, an ostensibly utopian deal of freedom or the choice to continue serving once their contract with the defence ministry had expired. As a combatant of Storm-Z revealed later, however, the grim conditions of the frontline quickly dashed their dreams of glory, transforming the battlefield into a “total meat-grinder”.
Despite not officially verifying the recruitment of convicts, various indications abound of their being part of the Storm-Z ranks. Indeed, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed governor of occupied Sevastopol in Crimea, confirmed the death of an ex-prisoner in combat, who had signed with the defence ministry earlier in spring.
Storm-Z units, originally projected as a “relatively elite organizations”, have essentially been degraded to “penal battalions”, composed of convicts and disciplined troops. These Storm-Z warriors are seen as dispensable assets to break through heavily defended Ukrainian positions. With talks of mistreatment and attempted desertions rife within the ranks, it remains to be seen how the convicts of Storm-Z shall weather the storm of war.