Russia has seen a surge in serious crimes as former convicts return home following military service in Ukraine. The Kremlin has scoured its prisons in a bid to boost its frontline forces, as casualties continue to mount at a horrific rate.

Putin's army is believed to have lost over one million soldiers - either killed or injured - in just under four years of gruelling warfare. Prisoners have been offered amnesty for their crimes in return for a tour of duty in Ukraine . Many have chosen to take the risk to escape the appalling conditions of life in a Russian penal colony .

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Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service estimates that between 140,000 to 180,000 convict

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