'They're just meat': Russia sending military, civilian offenders to war October 03, 2023 at 01:19AM

Russian penal units known as "Storm-Z" squads have been sending hundreds of military and civilian offenders, including drunk recruits and convicts, to the frontlines in Ukraine this year, according to multiple sources. These penal squads, which are embedded within regular army units, have sustained heavy losses and are considered expendable infantry by the Russian defense ministry.