Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ Military recruitment in Russia's prisons is reported to have slumped following the failure of the Wagner Group's mutiny. Prisoners rioted in support of Yevgeny Prigozhin during the mutiny, but are now 'apathetic' and regard him as a traitor. ⬇️

2/ Olga Romanova, the head of the 'Russia Behind Bars' prisoners' rights group, says that prisoners are now feeling "depressed" and there has been a profound loss of faith in both Prigozhin and the Russian Ministry of Defence.

3/ Prior to January 2023, the Wagner Group recruited tens of thousands of convicts from prison colonies across Russia, with Prigozhin – himself a former convict – personally travelling to prisons on recruitment visits. He was reportedly a highly effective recruiter.

4/ The Russian MOD banned Wagner's convict recruitment as part of its ongoing feud with him, and began recruiting convicts itself for its "Storm Z" stormtrooper battalions. However, the convicts appear to have become quickly disillusioned with the MOD.

5/ According to Romanova, "Apathy reigns among prisoners. Prigozhin was very popular up to the time when he retreated. Now his popularity is drastically reduced. First of all, [prisoners] don't like losers very much.

6/ Secondly, the word 'wool' [slang for 'traitors' who collaborate with the authorities] has been bandied about." In perhaps the ultimate insult for an ex-convict, Prigozhin was called "woolly" by prisoners when he called off his mutiny.

7/ Prisoners in the Moscow and Rostov prisons staged riots in support of the mutiny but were quickly suppressed by the prison service's special forces. They reacted angrily to Prigozhin's retreat. Recruited convicts began recording videos criticising and insulting Prigozhin.

8/ Now, Romanova says, prisoner recruitment is taking place at a pace that is mediocre ("neither good nor bad").

"Apathy reigns on the part of both the Ministry of Defence and the prisoners. The latter have realised that the Ministry of Defence doesn't pay.

9/ "The ministry itself is unable to cope with convicts. This is a special contingent that you have to be able to command."

Source:
t.me/mozhemobyasnit…