The Russian parliament has passed a new law allowing individuals facing prosecution to avoid trial and potential imprisonment by enlisting to fight in the war in Ukraine. Under this law, defendants can appeal to the courts to have charges dropped in exchange for signing a contract to join the Russian armed forces. Pre-trial detention centres across Russia are expecting around 100 people from each facility to take up the offer, which could boost the military by approximately 20,000 soldiers overall. The decision to dismiss charges will ultimately rest with individual judges but in theory, no cr…