Russia's Punishment Battalions: Echoes of Stalin's Brutality

Russia has deployed penal units known as "Storm-Z" squads, consisting of military and civilian offenders, to the frontlines in Ukraine. These squads, embedded within regular army units, are sent to the most exposed parts of the front and often sustain heavy losses. The penal squads combine convicts who volunteer to fight in exchange for a pardon with regular soldiers being punished for disciplinary breaches. The deployment of these squads marks a departure for Russia in Ukraine, as they come under the direct command of the defense ministry. The conditions and treatment of the Storm-Z fighters have been described as nightmarish, with reports of inadequate supplies, injuries, and deaths.