via YouTube
A group of inmates freed from prison to take part in Russia’s war against Ukraine is now complaining directly to Vladimir Putin that they’ve been duped.
In a video appeal shared by Astra on Tuesday, a man wearing a mask identifies himself as a commander in the Russian Defense Ministry’s Storm Z unit, made up primarily of ex-convicts, and stands in front of several men under his command, all from the Oryol region. He says that upon returning home from the battlefield, the men realized they’d been tricked by defense officials.
“All of my guys, and me, are having problems” getting recognized as veterans and receiving the social benefits that were promised, the commander says, adding that “promises have not been kept.”