“I can either go to the Russian Guard or the police. There you have a lot of weight and respect."
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in the war on the side of Russia - these are professional military personnel, National Guard members, reservists, conscripts and mercenaries of illegal armed groups, including former prisoners. The exact number of those who survived and returned home is unknown - over the past year alone, about 50 thousand citizens received the status of combat veterans.