The kremlin Is Closing the Door to Civil Amnesty, Opening Colonies for the Front

The kremlin continues to rely on prisoners as an expendable resource in the war against Ukraine. Last week, within a single day, the state duma of the rf rejected eight amnesty projects submitted in 2020–2025, including the so-called “broad amnesty” initiative for veterans, women with children, people with disabilities, protesters, and those convicted of collaborating with “undesirable” foreign NGOs – that is, not for the most dangerous criminals. At the same time, members of parliament refused to grant amnesty to journalists, critics of the authorities, women and widows of participants in the ‘special military operation’ as well as entrepreneurs.

The latest large-scale amnesty in the rf took place in 2015 – a ten-year hiatus is unprecedented for the entire period of the russian constitution. However, the kremlin has a different vision. The explanatory note from the state duma committee on state building and legislation states that the amnesty has “lost its relevance” due to the alleged “humanization” of criminal law. In reality, it refers to the selective exemption from liability of conscripts and contract soldiers and limited concessions for pregnant women and mothers of children under 14. The message is clear: the only real path to freedom is participation in the war.

Against this background, the penal system of the rf continues to release convicts sentenced for serious crimes, who return to civilian life and kill again. According to official data alone, since 2022, russian courts have found guilty more than 8,000 participants in the “special military operation”, of whom almost 900 were involved in cases of violent crimes. At least 423 people have died as a result of the actions of these “veterans” – a direct consequence of a policy that replaces justice with war.