Russian Storm Z units increasing presence in Bryansk Oblast, crime rate rises
Russian Storm Z units, formed mainly from recruited criminals, have been increasing their presence in Bryansk Oblast along Russia’s border with Belarus, Ukraine’s National Resistance Center said on July 15, quoting sources in the Russian Volunteer Corps.
And with the increasing presence of Storm Z units, the local crime rate is on the rise as well, according to locals.
The Russian Volunteer Corps, a military unit made up of Russian citizens in armed opposition to the regime of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, says a new group of prisoners arrived at the village of Spiridonova Buda, Bryansk Oblast.
The prisoners will join the Storm Z formation, and this measure is aimed to strengthen the 1st Tank Army of the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian Volunteer Corps says.
Local residents are reportedly protesting, faced with a worsening of the criminal situation. At this time, numerous cases of robberies and rapes have already been recorded, the Russian Volunteer Corps says.
Storm Z is a so-called "disciplinary military unit" created by Russia’s Defense Ministry, on the same pattern as the Wagner Group mercenary company. Members of the unit are recruited in Russian prisons, being motivated by a reduction in prison terms and "allowances" of an amount of $2,000 per month.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Eastern Forces spokesperson, Colonel Serhiy Cherevaty, said that the Storm Z assault units differ from Wagner Group fighters by the fact that there is no "bloodshed discipline" in their ranks – Wagner fighters have been known to kill members suspected of betraying the group. However, Cherevaty added that the "criminal population" in the units is of a similar size.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate or HUR reported on June 16 an increase in desertion both in assault companies, such as Storm Z, and in regular units of the Russian army.
According to the HUR, newly hired Storm Z recruits rob their own units, after which they flee with small arms in an "unknown direction."
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
