Why 154,000 Russian Prisoners Have "Disappeared"

Paul J. Warburg 10 min

Russia used prisoners as disposable cannon fodder to hide war costs from its people, while Ukraine recruits prisoners patriotically and integrates them into regular forces. The situations are polar opposites; Ukraine's prisoner recruitment is driven by patriotism and necessity, not deception.

Key points

  • 0:40

    Russia recruited prisoners to Bakhmut using false promises of parole and money.

  • 0:40

    Russian prisoners were used as cannon fodder in human-wave attacks without training.

  • 0:40

    Russia established a three-layer front line where prisoners fought in the first two layers.

  • 3:12

    Russia implemented a 'no body, no payment' policy to hide casualty numbers from families.

  • 3:12

    The Russian prison population dropped from 420,000 to 266,000 since the war began.

  • 5:28

    Russia lost more prisoners than its total reported soldier casualties for the entire conflict.

  • 5:28

    Ukraine has only 26,000 prisoners, which is insufficient to replace regular army losses.

  • 5:28

    Ukrainian prisoners are integrated into the regular military rather than separate penal battalions.

  • 8:02

    Over 5,000 Ukrainian prisoners have applied to join the military despite having parole available.

  • 8:02

    Many Ukrainian prisoners fight for their country and to protect families rather than for money.

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