Short answers, pulled from the story.
Vladimir Putin signed the law on the 24th of June 2023 that officially created Storm-V units. This decree simultaneously disbanded the earlier Storm-Z formations and replaced them with this new structure.
The letter V in the name stands for vityazi, which translates to knights in Russian. Unlike its predecessor, Storm-V did not offer pardons or parole to convicts who joined.
A member of one unit reported receiving only twelve days of training before deployment to the front lines. BBC News Russian documented these reports regarding inadequate preparation time for soldiers entering combat zones.
These units participated directly in the battle of Avdiivka during active fighting. They also saw action at the Battle of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine.
Soldiers who refused to carry out suicidal assaults faced execution or transfer to punishment pits. These pits served as detention areas for those showing dissent against orders.