Ex-Prisoners Detained After Fleeing Military Training Grounds in Southern Russia

Russian law enforcement authorities have apprehended two out of ten former inmates who fled from a military training facility in the southern Rostov region, according to local media citing unnamed sources from military investigations.

Four of the deserters were captured shortly after their escape on May 9, coinciding with Russia’s celebrations of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

The two most recent arrests reportedly took place near the border with the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, both of which Russia claims to have annexed in September 2022. These regions share a border with Russia’s Rostov region.

«The arrests were carried out successfully despite the fugitives’ attempts to resist,» a source was quoted by the news outlet 161.ru.

At the time of their escape, all ten men were said to be unarmed.

The individuals who deserted reportedly had been serving sentences for serious offenses such as murder, rape, and drug trafficking before their recruitment into the Russian military. They had signed contracts and were in training in preparation for deployment to Ukraine, as noted by 161.ru.

Currently, four of the deserters are still at large, prompting a manhunt in the Rostov region and areas of occupied Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not provided any comments regarding the reported desertions.

Since the commencement of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials have issued arrest warrants for at least 49,000 soldiers suspected of desertion, according to the exiled news service IStories. Nearly 300 of these individuals have since been reported as dead, captured, or missing.