From prison to frontline: Tragic tale of a disgraced general's desperate bid for freedom

For years, General Igor Trifonov served as the police chief in Yekaterinburg and ran one of the departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, this esteemed official fell from grace, and a year ago, a court sentenced him to nine years in prison. In 2021, he was convicted of accepting a bribe and illegally possessing a weapon. Consequently, he was sent to a harsh penal colony.

Determined to leave prison, he took advantage of a special law that allowed him to join the army. He arrived in Ukraine in November, likely joining the "Storm-Z" unit, known for recruiting convicts and sending them straight to the front lines. Tragically, the 55-year-old Trifonov didn't survive long in the army, and he died on the battlefield at the end of December.

His wife and family received the shocking news of his death several days later on Tuesday.

From the onset, Trifonov's family has never accepted his guilt and has been fighting tirelessly in courts to prove his innocence. The court eventually reduced his sentence and his time in the penal colony. On January 10, the Court of Cassation in Chelyabinsk will consider the relatives' appeal. Sadly, Igor Trifonov will not be alive to hear the verdict.

The case of the police officer has been reported by Russian media with considerable discretion and caution.

Indeed, it's possible that Igor Trifonov was innocent and fell foul of local politicians in Yekaterinburg, resulting in the end of his career and a year in jail. As an ex-police officer, life in a penal colony wouldn't have been easy, making his decision to go to Ukraine a desperate chance to regain freedom.

The tragedy is that instead of returning home, he will be brought back in a body bag, listed as killed in action.

According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russia has already lost 361,500 soldiers on the front lines since the invasion began. Approximately 60-70 thousand of these are prisoners who joined the army due to special regulations enacted by Vladimir Putin's administration. Initially, they were recruited by the Wagner Group, but now they are members of the "Storm-Z" unit.

These prisoners are considered expendable in the army and are seemingly sent to their inevitable death.

Neither their commanders nor their fellow soldiers value their lives, and as Ukrainians continue their defense, the frontline units are noticeably thinning. However, these so-called "meat assaults" are showing some effects, as the invaders are slowly but surely gaining ground on the front lines. The cost of these few miles of advancement is inhumanely high.