A new special assault unit "Storm Gladiator" has been formed in Russia out of prisoners recruited for the war against Ukraine, UNN reports citing the Center for National Resistance.
It is noted that this is a privileged semi-secret battalion consisting of several hundred convicts with combat experience, and is called "gladiators" in honor of the former general of the 58th Army with the call sign "Spartak".
"The battalion is commanded by a former police officer convicted of a brutal murder. This unit selects people with a high level of physical fitness, experience in law enforcement agencies, and combat veterans. In addition, former Wagnerites and Kadyrovites from the Akhmata Sobor unit, which is part of the Russian Guard, train the 'gladiators' at the training ground," the statement said.