Russian Prisoners with HIV Recruited for War with Promise of Anti-Viral Drugs

About a fifth of Russian prisoners recruited to fight in Ukraine with the Wagner Group are HIV positive, with some agreeing to fight in exchange for anti-viral medication promised by the group. The prisoners said they agreed to fight because the Russian prison system deprived them of effective HIV treatment. The Wagner Group is currently fighting to capture the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, with US Gen. Mark Milley calling it a "slaughter-fest" for Russian forces. The group has been accused of treating its convict recruits as "cannon fodder."