From prison to battlefield. Ex‑Vladivostok mayor swaps bribery sentence for Ukrainian front

Oleg Gumeniuk, who held the position of Vladivostok's mayor from 2018 to 2021, was convicted last year of accepting bribes totaling 38 million rubles (over $500,000) - as reported by the American news agency, Associated Press. His initial sentence was a 12-year prison term.

According to the man's lawyer, Andrei Kitayev, Gumeniuk signed a military contract committing him to fight in Ukraine, as reported by AP and cited by the Russian news service "Kommersant". Kitayev stated that the politician's current location is unknown, but Gumeniuk had been ordered to report to his military unit on December 22nd of the previous year.

No confirmation of this information could be obtained from officials of the Federal Penitentiary Service in the Primorsky region, where the ex-mayor of Vladivostok was serving his sentence. The AP noted that social media posts feature photos of a man resembling Oleg Gumeniuk, armed and accompanied by soldiers.

Thousands of Russian prisoners have signed up for service on the Ukrainian front, as Moscow strives to bolster its army ranks. Convicts who commit to a six-month military service can receive pardons. The adoption of this tactic echoes Russia's strategy during World War II, when it formed battalions comprising of criminals.