In the war in Ukraine, Russia is increasingly trying to use imprisoned women.

As reported today, March 13, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its summary, such a process was started by the occupiers in order to replenish heavy losses at the front.

"So, last week, a train with first-class carriages for the transportation of prisoners was noted moving towards the Donetsk region. One of the carriages was carrying convicted women," the General Staff reported.

The former head of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine, Serhii Starenkyi, expressed his opinion about how the occupiers can use imprisoned criminals in a comment for TSN.ua.

"Women can fight in various positions, but in this case, some of them can be used to work as snipers. It is a worldwide practice that women can be snipers. They can also be used as medical instructors after initial training. Let me remind you that often women with of the criminal world have certain skills in handling weapons," Starenky clarified and added that according to his estimates, the number of Russian women prisoners involved in the war will obviously not be too large.

That is, those with long prison terms can be sent to war.  

According to Serhii Starenkyi, these days in Russia, the recruitment of prisoners, both women and men, continues, but not for the "Wagner" prison.

"Now in Russia, the legislation has been amended, due to which prisoners can join the units of the Ministry of Defense, in the regular army. This is used to fill the cannon with fodder during the initial assault on Ukrainian positions. I think several thousand more prisoners, 5 - 7,000, they are collecting in Russia," Starenky sums up.

In addition, he adds that now in Russia, perhaps, the Gulag scheme is starting to work - for the commission of a crime, a person is used as a labor force.

"Such a mechanism can be created even now," says Starenky.

In his turn, military expert Vladyslav Seleznyov also expresses the opinion that the recruitment of prisoners is obviously not for "Wagner".

"Now this process is being handled by recruiters from the Ministry of Defense of Russia. The procedure is the same as that initiated by Prigozhin. Both men and women are being recruited. There may be many of the latter in the relevant positions. I think that the prisoners who are now moving in wagons to the territory of Donetsk oblast, will be used in combat formations in those positions that do not require high professionalism - cooks, auxiliary workers, nurses," - believes Seleznyov.

According to him, in general, the recruitment of prisoners at the ministry level shows that Putin's army is looking for any options to replenish the ranks of the occupiers.

"This is happening, including within the framework of covert mobilization," Seleznyov added, clarifying that there are more than 400,000 prisoners in Russia.  

At the same time, according to the estimates of another military expert, Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military-political observer of the "Information Resistance" group, the presence of prisoners on the battlefield will not affect the situation globally.

We will remind that the terrorist Prigozhin used to recruit convicts from all over Russia to join the "Wagner" PMC.

"Zekiv" is used there as "cannon fodder" for storming Ukrainian positions.

Subsequently, analysts stated that a confrontation arose between the terrorist and the head of the occupying Ministry of Defense, and then Shoigu's department began to involve convicts from the colonies in the war against Ukraine. 

Read also:

• Made on "Azovstal": they promise to complete the wave bridge in Kyiv (photo)

• Belarus is preparing for war — an expert assessed threats from the north (video)

• Kiyan was frightened by the "bloody" moon in the sky: what scientists say