Former Prisoners Who Fought in Ukraine Appeal to Putin Over Unpaid Promised Funds

Former prisoners from the "Шторм Z" unit who returned from the war have appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating they have not received the promised salaries and compensation for injuries. They also claim they have not received documents regarding the expungement of their criminal records. This was reported by Meduza, citing a letter previously published by "Важные истории." One of the authors of the letter confirmed its authenticity to the publication.

The appeal was written by seven former prisoners who participated in the war in Ukraine. They state that during their participation in the war, they “did not receive any full salary, did not receive combat payments for being at the front, and did not receive guaranteed payments for injuries sustained.” The authors of the letter note that they cannot obtain certificates of military veterans because the unit does not provide the necessary extracts.

Roman Polyakov, 42, who fought in the directions of Severodonetsk and Zaporizhzhia in the summer of 2023, told reporters that he sustained multiple injuries. According to him, he is now unable to find work in Russia due to his criminal past. He claims that when conscripted from prison, inmates were promised a “full social package” and equal conditions with other fighters for participating in the war. However, they were not provided with copies of the contracts.

In addition, it turned out that the mentioned documents were not from the Ministry of Defense but contracts for participation in volunteer formations signed by the self-proclaimed leader of the DPR. According to him, he and other prisoners were promised “full rehabilitation,” which means expungement of convictions.

“In reality, we were paid a maximum of half of our salaries—100,000 to 105,000 rubles. I was paid for three days of combat service, although I spent a full three months in the red zone. As for injuries, we were told that our payment was not under the president’s decree No. 98 but a separate order from the Ministry of Defense for light injuries of 50,000 rubles and severe injuries of 300,000 rubles. But it is also impossible to see this money, as for instance, I have not been able to obtain a certificate regarding the severity of my injury for two months now,” Polyakov said.