Go to war or go face court - Russians wey dem accuse of crimes get choice

Around 06:45 for 28 March, police land for Andrey Perlov domot wey dey near Novosibirsk for Siberia.

E wake up for early mor-mor to go gym but dem send police to carry am go house to search am.

Dem accuse am say im tiff about three million roubles ($32,000; £24,000) from one Novosibirsk football club wia e bin dey work as managing director.

Im family say di only tin im do na to allow pikin dem to play for di grounds witout say dem pay di usual money wey dem suppose pay to play for di pitch, dem only pay for coach. Im accusers say money sha enta im pocket.

Perlov, wey be 62 na Olympic gold medallist as im win di 50km race walk for 1992.

E dey detained for more than six months and im family say dem push am to gree to fight for Ukraine.

Dem tell am say dem go use im fighting to take freeze im embezzlement case and dem fit even drop am wen di war finish.

Im daughter Alina tok say, "e refuse and we start to dey hala for local media so dem send am go strict punishment cell wia dem come give am di contract again." She say wen im refuse again, dem no gree am make e see or call im family.

No be secret say dem don recruit prisoners to fight for Ukraine but BBC analysis fit show how di initial focus to carry di most hardened and violent convicts don shift.

Di latest laws mean say both prosecution and defence lawyers fit tell almost anyone wey dem accuse of crime say dem fit go fight war instead of to go court.

Di law wey dem pass for March 2024 mean say if dem sign up, di prosecution and any investigation go stop. Dia case go generally dey closed completely wen di war end.

Olga Romanova wey be di director of Russia Behind Bars, one NGO wey dey give detainees legal assistance tok say, "dis one don turn Russia law enforcement system upside down.

"Police fit just catch pesin on top of deadibodi wey e just kill. As dem dey tight im handcuffs, di killer go come say: 'Oh wait I wan go special military operation' and dem go come close di case."

We bin get leaked recording of one investigator wey bin dey describe di advantages of signing di contract wit di Russian army to pesin wey dem don already sentence im husband to three years for theft.

E tell her say, "e fit get more for dis oda crime. I offer am chance to sign contract. If dem approve im request, e go go war and we go close di case".

If di accused sign, within few days di criminal case go dey suspended, di suspect go dey released and go go front line almost instantly. Three lawyers wey dey work for Russia don confam say dis don bicom normal tin across di kontri.

Sone sign to avoid prison and criminal record but no be di easy way out. Dis na wetin teenager Yaroslav Lipavsky find out.

E sign di deal afta dem accuse am of "intentional infliction of serious harm to health by a group of persons by prior agreement".

Im young babe just find out say she get belle and so to avoid prosecution, Lipavsky sign up to enta military as soon as im turn 18.

E go Ukraine and one week later e don die wey make am one of di youngest sojas to die for di war.

E no clear how many pipo wey dem accuse of crimes decide to go fight instead of to face trial but dis shift for policy show say Russia need to reinforce troops witout say dem need to mobilize plenti oda civilians.

Military analyst for di Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Michael Kofman tok say "Russians care about convicts or pipo wey prison? I suspect say dem no care".

E tink say di goment "dey likely reason say dis pipo na who dem fit lose, say no bodi go miss dem and say dem no go get ogbonge, negative effect for di overall economy".

Wen di Wagner mercenary group first hire dia first prison inmates, dia dead leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin bin target convicts for high security jails say e need dia "criminal talents" and in exchange dem fit get pardons.

Di BBC and Russian website Mediazona don see and verify confidential documents wey tok about how dem dey take recruit prisoners, wetin happun to many of dem and dem need to maintain di flow of new fighters.

We sabi say, afta analysing di dog tags of convicts wey die for Ukraine and "coffin payments" wey dem dey give dia families, Wagner recruit almost 50,000 inmates from penal colonies. E reach a point wey dem bin dey loose up to 200 for action evriday. Many odas injure.

All prisoners dog tags start wit K wey mean “kolonya” or prison colony.

Di first three numbers na based on di prision di pesin come from and di last three numbers na di recruit. E mean say di higher di number di more recruits wey comot from dat colony.

Di record of coffin payments show say more dan 17,000 prisoners bin die as dem dey try capture di city of Bakhmut for eastern Ukraine between July 2022 and June 2023 alone.

To plug di losses Wagner and later on di Ministry of Defence don rearrange dia recruitment style so dem go increase di amount of pipo dem fit draw on.

Some pipo wey dem accuse of crimes no gree di new deal bicos dem bin no gree for di war in principle, odas no gree bicos risk say dem go die or wound for di war dey much, and odas bicos dem bin wan stay for house to fight dia case.

Andrey Perlov still dey hope say dem go fit prove im innocence but di last time Alina see her papa for court for mid-July, e don loose plenti weight. She say, "e dey try to dey cheerful but if e continue like dis dem go break am".

We ask di Russian authorities about Andrey Perlov case and weda dem dey unfairly push detainees to join di army. Dem no ansa.